(Yicai Global) Dec. 24 -- Chinese regulators have opened an investigation into China National Knowledge Infrastructure, which runs the largest and most accessed academic online library in the country, for allegedly abusing its dominant market position by wantonly hiking prices and violating authors’ rights.

China’s anti-monopoly law clearly states that big market players must not manipulate prices, oppress suppliers or squeeze out the competition, the State Administration for Market Regulation said yesterday. It will look into the complaints raised against CNKI.

CNKI, which was set up by Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University in 1999, has compiled a unique collection of masters’ theses, doctoral dissertations, research papers, journals and university proceedings that serves as an indispensable resource for university students and academic researchers. CNKI charges for its services, but it is able to obtain the materials it offers at very low cost.

The Beijing-based firm was recently sued to the tune of CNY700,000 (USD109,885) by a retired professor from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Zhao Dexin, for publishing over 100 of his papers without authorization.

A number of universities, including Wuhan University of Technology and Peking University, recently said they no longer use the database due to its unreasonable prices. Since then, CNKI has more than halved its charges to download a masters’ thesis and doctoral dissertation to CNY7.50 (USD1.18) and CNY9.50 respectively.

Editor: Kim Taylor