[Moderator's Note: I have prepended Jan Velterop's message to which
Iain Stevenson seems to be replying below. Iain may have been
replying to something else as I see nothing in Jan's message to
suggest he is recommending that anyone should disregard copyright:
He is just recommending that authors retain it. -- SH]
Jan Velterop wrote:
> There is nothing against copyright. There is everything against
> copyright (or exclusive distribution rights) on research articles
> being transferred to the kind of publishers who subsequently use it
> to restrict - severely restrict - their dissemination and optimal
> use. Authors of research articles should keep their copyright and if
> they use it properly, they use it to ensure maximum dissemination,
> which is where their real interest lies.
Gosh, Jan, you've changed your tune since you were at CUP! People can't
just disregard copyright. it exists and is a good thing. I happen to
agree that authors should retain copyright and used to practise this
when I ran journals. I seem to remember you telling me I was dangerously
liberal then! You can't just disregard a law because it doesn't fit your
view of the world.
Iain Stevenson
