Re: Fair use (RE: electronic journals CCC)

[Karl-Josef Ziegler <kziegler@uni-koblenz.de>]

Dear List!

Another argument often is also not mentioned:

Most of the scientific work done for a publication is financed by public
grants. So the libraries in the universities have to "bought back" their
own results spending public funds again. Using this system the scientific
community has to pay twice for getting their results, i.e. advancement of
science and knowledge. Is there no 'moral obligation' that these results
should be (say, after a waiting period of about 6 or 12 month) in public
domain?

Best regards,

- Karl-Josef Ziegler

______

"T. Scott Plutchak" schrieb:
> 
> There's an additional point to this whole discussion that hasn't yet been
> mentioned -- there's more at stake than the practical financial risk of
> infringement.  There's a principle.  In this context, it is illuminating
> to go back to the Williams & Wilkins vs. NLM copyright case of the late
> sixties & early seventies.  That battle went on for almost a decade and
> both sides recognized that the actual amount of money at stake was quite
> small.  What was important to W&W was the principle that EVERY use of
> copyrighted material ought to be paid for (remember that this case was
> fought before Fair Use was codified into law).  What was important to NLM
> was the principle that the general welfare requires that the public be
> able to make some limited use of copyrighted material without having to
> pay.
.......