Southern Connecticut State University is the latest battleground in the textbook turf war. The university has an exclusive contract with Barnes & Noble College Booksellers that gives the campus bookstore sole rights to buy and sell course materials on the campus and in the surrounding 10 blocks. On August 29 a university official sent a cease-and-desist letter ordering Chegg to stop soliciting on the campus. The request came in response to a report by the bookstore manager that individuals, possibly students hired by Chegg, were violating the contract by distributing fliers advertising the company in academic buildings.
Chegg’s general counsel, Robert Chesnut, contended that those students were not marketing Chegg’s textbook services but were most likely promoting Chegg Deals, a coupon book that offers student discounts at local restaurants and shops.
"If there were 100 coupons in the book, at most one would be a textbook coupon," Mr. Chesnut said. "There’s no one on that campus working for Chegg who’s out trying to promote Chegg textbooks."