Two former students of the University of Antwerp (UAntwerp) are facing charges of copyright infringement for sharing photos of exam questions. The university is demanding 17,000 euros
in damages.
The prosecution is requesting a suspended sentence for the two former Pharmaceutical Sciences students who shared exam questions in 2022. The verdict is scheduled to be delivered on 26 March.
One of the students, unprepared for a physics exam, resorted to cheating by bringing a mobile phone into the exam hall. Upon noticing that a friend seated ahead of him was also online, he sent photos of his exam questions and sought assistance.
The friend then shared these photos in a pharmacy group on WhatsApp, seeking correct answers. Subsequently, the images were circulated widely, ultimately catching the attention of the university.
According to the prosecution, the exam questions are protected by copyright. Consequently, the defendants were prohibited from distributing images of them. Despite facing disciplinary action resulting in a lost academic year and opting to leave UAntwerp for KU Leuven, the incident prompted a legal response, with UAntwerp filing a criminal complaint.
Considering the students' disciplinary penalties and young age, the prosecution has requested a suspended sentence to avoid jeopardizing their future.
The university is pursuing compensation for damage to its reputation and incurred costs. The students' defense attorneys argued for acquittal and dismissal of the damages claim, contending that the exam questions were merely adaptations of course material and not protected literary works. Photo by Bbaks, Wikimedia commons.