Re: Negotiate or sign? (Was: "Confused")

["John Cox" <John.E.Cox@btinternet.com>]

Such licenses exist just connect to www.licensingmodels.com.  The problem
is that people get very proprietorial about standard legal documents they
develop - often with expensive legal help.  Licenses should be tools, not
products themselves.

If libraries adopt model licenses and insist on content providers using
them and not their own, publishers and other suppliers will soon fall in
line. After all, they want/need you to purchase.

John Cox

John Cox Associates
John.E.Cox@btinternet.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Ann Okerson <aokerson@pantheon.yale.edu>
To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu <liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu>
Date: 18 May 2000 12:57
Subject: Re: Negotiate or sign? (Was: "Confused")


>Dave Fisher sends the following message:
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 17:09:05 -0700
>From: "Dave Fisher" <Dave@library.ucsd.edu>
>To: <liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu>
>Subject: Re: Negotiate or sign? (Was: "Confused")
>
>Rick,
>
>It's not just a question of publishers creating a library versions of
>license agreements, but rather getting them to abide by a set of precepts
>when writing them.  As things stand now every license stands alone in some
>way as a unique document. If we are lucky the license will not be
>objectionable, it will support everything in the publisher's repertoire
>and we may be able to add inclusions to it as we go along - but we are
>still faced with a mounting file of documents and a growing list of
>maintenance issues.  If we are not so lucky we must make phone calls and
>write letters in order to get the concessions we require for our own
>circumstances. My plea would be for the publishing trade associations to
>unite behind an initiative that would bring some order out of this chaos
>and provide a license - or more realistically perhaps several versions of
>a license that would be adapted to differing circumstances - that 95% of
>libraries in any given national political boundary could subscribe to.
>This is no small task but the rewards for succeeding are great - both from
>the industry view point as well as the subscriber community.  The Canadian
>initiative announced last week is a good beginning.
>
>
>David L. (Dave) Fisher
>Electronic Resources Specialist
>Geisel Library/Acquisitions Dept.
>University of California, San Diego
>9500 Gilman Drive 0175A
>La Jolla, CA 92093-0175
>dfisher@ucsd.edu
>      (858) 822-1004
>Fax (858) 534-1256