http://chronicle.com/free/2002/03/2002031901u.htm

Quote from the article:

"This is a typical tactic of the large-scale software systems that are in use in education -- attracting our business with a product [at a low price] to prevent us from developing a product in-house, and then raising the price later," says James Hammond, associate vice president for information technology at Winthrop University, which has purchased software from WebCT for several years.

Chronicle of Higher Education's News Update Blurb:

SOME ACADEMIC-TECHNOLOGY OFFICIALS say they're experiencing sticker shock over recent pricing changes by two leading providers of course-management software. Colleges that until recently paid a few thousand dollars a year for the companies' products are now being asked to pay tens or even hundreds of thousands for the latest systems.