This article is SO inaccurate. I am a student at Miami, and I am in intern for one of these companies. It's not illegal. At all. Students are allowed to upload their OWN academic documents for others to use as a resouce. Students are NOT allowed to use other students' work as their own, but as means of helping them in their studies. These sites are just like online tutors. Instead of sitting down with another student, this is an easier way of learning and teaching yourself. The only illegal or inappropriate way of using these websites would be by posting professors' powerpoints and such. You cannot upload anyone else's information but your own. If I want to help other students by sharing my intellectual property, than I will. And so should you.
Oh, and a lot of these websites do other things, such as contribute to those less fortunate by donating books and bettering the lives of others.
Thanks!

Because serious academic work should be every PhD student's goal in life

Does anyone bother to edit these columns? This is a horrible mash of run-on sentences, excessive commas, and a myriad of other grammatical errors. Before allowing people to become writers, perhaps the Student should administer a 6th grade writing test. If they did, no one would have to muddle through another barely coherent column.