Exploring Copyright
In an academic setting, publishing is essential. It enables us to communicate our research and teaching to others, to further the exploration of ideas and theories, to share discoveries and make important advances that directly impact our communities and quality of life. Ideally, publishing gives us a voice in the vast discourse of our fields. Most practically, it provides us with professional standing and enables us to pursue important advancements such as tenure. Most view publishing as the end result of months or sometimes years of toil--the products of our research and teaching. Once our work has been accepted, especially if it is to be published by a top tier journal, we often sign whatever paper the publisher puts in front of us. It is so important that our work has made the journey from our own desktop and into the wider world to be read, discussed, and hopefully cited that most of us probably don’t even know what it is we are signing away.
I use the term “we” deliberately, to include librarians. Although open access is one of the key issues being tackled by libraries and librarians worldwide, a recent study shows that librarians are no more aware than other academic faculty of what rights they sign away, nor are they particularly motivated to publish in journals that allow them to retain their rights. According to an international study published by City University in London, 13% of authors across disciplines indicated a detailed interest in copyright and intellectual property rights. These results are strikingly similar to a 2007 survey of librarians published by researchers from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, which reported that only 10% of respondents indicated such an interest.1
The assertion is not that this behavior is bad or should be judged harshly; instead, the question is why do we do this? Why do authors take such little interest in the rights to their own intellectual property? And in today’s online environment, when publishing lacks some of the traditional barriers and the environment more readily supports the dissemination of information, what is the effect of this behavior? Should we be doing something different with the rights to our own work?
1. Carter, H., C. Snyder and A. Imre. (2007) “Library Faculty Publishing and Intellectual Property Issues: A Survey of Attitudes and Awareness.” Libraries and the Academy. 7.1: p. 65-79.
2. Cartoon Credit: ESA European Space Agency (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Intellectual_Property_Rights/SEMPF825WVD_
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