Peter Suber wrote:
> For immediate release, July 1, 2002
> INGENTA SIGNS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON TO CREATE
> OPEN ARCHIVE E-PRINT SERVICES
> [....]
> Under the terms of the strategic partnership, Ingenta will create an
> enhanced, commercially supported version of ePrints, which it will make
> available as a service to institutions worldwide. A share of the proceeds
> will be channelled back into supporting Southampton's research and
> development efforts in continuing to evolve ePrints, which will also remain
> available as open source software.
Are we to understand, then, that ePrints is to become a commercial product that is
sold to institutions for profit rather than continuing as an important tool in the
(authentic) open access movement? Ingenta's announcement would have us believe that
their latest move is an extension of the open acces movement, but if their
licensing arrangements turn out to be such that many adacemic institutions find it
difficult or impossible to purchase and use the software, they've simply moved the
tollgates to another location on the same road, and the desire for truly open
access has been subverted again.
Comments?
--
Christopher D. Green
Department of Psychology
York University
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M3J 1P3
e-mail: christo_at_yorku.ca
phone: 416-736-5115 ext. 66164
fax: 416-736-5814
http://www.yorku.ca/christo/
Received on Tue Jul 02 2002 - 14:50:56 BST