Tackling Piracy at Elsevier
Last updated on October 19, 2026
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Our mission is to support authors, researchers, educators, students, and healthcare professionals in advancing science and improving health outcomes. Protecting intellectual property is an important part of that mission, helping to ensure that trusted scientific and medical information remains accurate, reliable, and accessible.
Intellectual property infringement can take many forms, including the unauthorised sharing or distribution of copyrighted content, the posting of licensed materials without permission, the sale of pirated copies, and the production or distribution of counterfeit products. These activities can undermine the value of authors' work, expose users to incomplete or inaccurate content, and threaten the integrity of the scientific record by making it harder to access trusted, authoritative information.
The Elsevier Intellectual Property Protection team is dedicated to safeguarding Elsevier's content, products, and brands from misuse and infringement. We actively monitor for unauthorised use of our intellectual property and collaborate with online platforms, service providers, marketplaces, and other stakeholders to address infringements when they occur.
Piracy is not always obvious. It can take many forms and may appear on websites, online marketplaces, social media platforms, messaging applications, or file-sharing services.
While not all unauthorised content is easy to identify, warning signs may include:
- Requests to download Elsevier content from unofficial websites or file-sharing platforms
- Offers of free or heavily discounted copies that appear too good to be true
- Content distributed without a licence or permission from the copyright holder
- Counterfeit products that imitate genuine Elsevier publications
- Social media posts or direct messages offering access to copyrighted books, articles, or other content
- Shared folders, cloud storage links, or file repositories containing unauthorised copies of Elsevier materials
- Websites that reproduce or distribute Elsevier content without attribution, permission, or licensing
The scholarly and healthcare communities play an important role in protecting intellectual property and maintaining trust in scientific information. If you become aware of suspected infringement involving Elsevier content, products, or brands, we encourage you to report it to our Customer Support teamopens in new tab/window.
Together, we can help protect authors' rights, preserve the integrity of the scientific record, and ensure that researchers, students, faculty, and healthcare professionals can continue to access trusted, high-quality information.
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