Pearson's anti-piracy vendor inadvertently used a DMCA notice to take down the official GitHub code repository of Pearson's own best-selling author, Paul Deitel. The prominent computer science educator pushed back, noting that the sender has "no idea of the damage they're doing" by taking down critical educational materials, requesting GitHub to restore access.
Paul Deitel is a best-selling programming textbook author whose books, published by Pearson Education, are used by students and developers worldwide.
The author’s personal GitHub account includes a widely referenced repository that hosts the official example code for titles including Java SE 8 for Programmers, C++ How to Program, and Python for Programmers.
These code examples are a key reference, but for a few weeks they have been unavailable due to a DMCA takedown notice. The notice in question was sent in April by Pearson’s anti-piracy vendor Link-Busters, which is the most prolific DMCA takedown sender in recent history.
Apparently, Link-Busters confused the educational code repository with an illegally posted copy of the book, which it clearly isn’t.
Deitel Files CounternoticeWhile Link-Busters generally has a decent track record, this notice caused clear collateral damage. In a counternotice that was sent to GitHub yesterday, July 9, Deitel requests his repository to be restored.
GitHub redacted his name in the published counter-notice, but the identity of the filer is clear from the context. The author explains that the targeted repo does not contain a copy of the book, but important code examples.
“I am the [private] of the book and [private] [private] GitHub page is where ALL [private] readers worldwide get the example code that goes with [private] books,” the counternotice reads.
“Whoever this [private] organization is has no idea of the damage they’re doing by automated scanning and sending of removal notices.”
“Had they done even the simplest bit of research they would have seen that the book was not posted in [private] GitHub repo and that it was just the supporting materials, and that [private] am the [private] of the book!”
The counter-notice stresses that access to the GitHub repository is “CRITICAL” as readers worldwide depend on it to access the example code that accompanies the book. Without it, the textbook’s code exercises are effectively inaccessible.
Waiting for RestorationAt the scale Link-Busters operates, sending billions of DMCA takedown notices on behalf of major publishers, mistakes are perhaps unavoidable. However, this example shows that even a minuscule error rate can result in real damage, even for the very people these notices aim to protect.
The contested April takedown notice covered roughly 25 book titles. Most of the targeted repositories did contain unauthorized PDF copies of textbooks, uploaded by students to “books” collections on GitHub. The Deitel companion code repo was the clear outlier.
At the time of writing, Deitel’s GitHub repository is still offline, pointing to the removal notice shown below.
Repository unavailable
Under the DMCA’s counter-notice procedure, GitHub has to restore the disabled repository within 10 to 14 business days unless Pearson or Link-Busters file a federal lawsuit to keep it offline. Since the takedown appears to be a clear mistake, it will likely be restored soon.
TorrentFreak reached out to Deitel for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication. Link-Busters has yet to respond to our request for comment too. We will update this article if responses come in.