VitalSource
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Legal Structure | Private |
| Industry | Digital textbooks, Educational technology |
| Also known as | |
| Official website | https://www.vitalsource.com/ |
VitalSource is a digital textbook & course material provider serving students & educational institutions, primarily in the United States higher education market. The company offers digital access to textbooks & other educational content through its online platform & apps, with various license durations including short-term rentals & what it markets as "lifetime" access.
Consumer-impact summary
Incidents
"Lifetime" access controversy (December 2024)
- Main article: VitalSource "Lifetime" false advertising
VitalSource markets certain digital textbook licenses as offering "lifetime" access while defining this term as a limited five-year period. The practice came to wider attention in December 2024 when VitalSource published a California disclosure page in response to AB 2426, a state law requiring companies to clearly disclose when digital goods are licensed rather than owned. Despite this disclosure, VitalSource continues to use the term "lifetime" in its storefront marketing without prominently displaying the five-year limitation alongside shorter-duration options that do show explicit expiration dates