Systemic challenges affecting authors' rights, equity, and information dissemination, particularly for Global South researchers, are becoming more prevalent in academic publishing. It was my experience that a manuscript accepted and billed with a full Article Processing Charge (APC) was unexpectedly lowered to a Short Communication without author consent. Regional biases devalue non-Western contributions to global science, as justified by “local interest”. Unfair publishing practices literature supports editorial ethics, APC pressures, and regional bias issues. The piece urgently asks for openness, ethical accountability, and inclusive publishing reforms.