The Statistical Abstract of the United States was published for many years by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Abstract provided a summary of business, economic, social, and political statistics. It was available for free online, and a printed copy could also be purchased from the U.S. Government Printing Office for $39. Because government documents are not copyrighted, anyone could print and sell copies of the Statistical Abstract. Each year, typically one or two companies would print and sell copies for a significantly lower price than the Government Printing Office did. The copies of the Statistical Abstract that these companies sold were usually identical to those sold by the government, except for having different covers. How could these companies have sold the same book for a lower price than the government did and still have covered their costs?