RE: Peggy Hoon on licenses

["Hamaker, Charles" <cahamake@uncc.edu>]

I wonder how we get to the people who actually write these 
licenses. I can't imagine that CEO's actually know what they are 
saying to the primary customers with what are insulting or 
illegal or just plain bad business practices. An enormous amount 
of the goodwill in the development with publisher's over the last 
decade is being undercut by outrageous demands being seen in 
license agreements.

Would a series of workshops perhaps in three parts, one on 
negative terms that are deal breakers, one on terms libraries 
like and a third on library terms publishers don't like sponsored 
perhaps by SSP or NASIG or ARL or NISO or some group of 
organizations get to the CEO's and lawyers who are actually 
responsible for these things? I doubt they can get together 
themselves, that would be seen I believe as monopolistic 
behavior, but perhaps a third party can do it? I don't think 
there are enough consultants in the industry worldwide to get to 
all of them. And they don't seem to be getting to best of 
practice on their own. What we have done as groups or individuals 
isn't getting through even to the largest publishers in spite of 
the best efforts of a whole host of voices.

If not amenable to any joint action perhaps for legal reasons, 
then perhaps we need well advertised sessions at several major 
conferences?

Chuck Hamaker
UNC Charlotte
Atkins Library