Akme Expression, the newest addition to the Broad Street shopping parade, has been opened by renegade philosopher Andrew Malcolm as the latest front in his ongoing battle with Oxford University Press.
Eleven years ago, the Court of Appeal ordered Oxford to pay Malcolm £17,000 after judging that OUP had broken an unwritten ageeement to publish Malcolm's book Making Names. The terms of the agreement also prohibited agents of the University from publicly denigrating Malcolm or his text - a ban Malcolm considered to have been breached when Alan Ryan, New College Warden, criticised the book in a letter to The Times Higher Education Supplement.
A subsequent court case concerning this alleged breach went against Malcoolm and he was ordered to pay the University £12,500 in legal fees. Not to be beaten, Malcolm has resolved to make up the costs by selling his books in his own shop.
Buyers of books receive a complementary A-level, and also have the option of purchasing degrees (for varying prices depending on their class) from Akme University, set up in the store's basement. Places at 'Broke College' are also on the market, as a jibe at Pembroke's recent cash-for-places incident.
Alan Ryan declined to voice his opinion concerning the new shop, feeling it better "to avoid causing Mr Malcolm any further agitation".
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