This morning I received an email from a publisher inviting me to write\u00a0a chapter for\u00a0an \u2018upcoming hardcover edited collection\u2019 on a topic of research to which\u00a0I have made a number of contributions over the years.<\/p>\n
I politely declined because of the terms of the copyright transfer agreement that the publisher was good enough to provide up front. I have obscured the name of the company but otherwise it read:<\/p>\n
“I (and my coauthors) hereby assign and transfer to XX all rights of copyright ownership and permissions to the article\/chapter, including without limitation or restriction, all rights of reproduction, derivation, translation, distribution, sale, reuse, and display of the work, in whole or in part, including recompilation, cross-publication and stand-alone publication, in any and all forms of media now or hereafter known, including all electronic and digital media, as protected by the laws of the United States and foreign countries and to authorize others to make such uses of the work. These rights will become the property of XX from the date of acceptance of the article\/chapter for publication and extend for the life of the copyright. I understand that XX, as copyright owner, has authority to grant permission to reproduce the article\/chapter.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
As little as three years ago I might have seriously entertained an invitation encumbered by such conditions. But such agreements are, in my view, \u00a0no longer fit for purpose in academia.<\/p>\n
I work at a university that receives a substantial portion of its income from the public purse and I rely on public funding for my research. I agree it is appropriate to pay a reasonable charge for the costs of quality publishing services \u2014 as part of making the work freely available, which in turn is part of returning value to the public for its investment and<\/em> adding further value to it by ensuring that dissemination and use of my work within and beyond the academic community is as effective as possible.<\/p>\n
The clause above infringes my capacity to do my duty as part of the scientific community. Could I suggest that publishers still using such clauses contact their lawyers and start re-writing?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This morning I received an email from a publisher inviting me to write\u00a0a chapter for\u00a0an \u2018upcoming hardcover edited collection\u2019 on a topic of research to which\u00a0I have made a number of contributions over the years. I politely declined because of … Continue reading