Academic Publishing and Open Access

Revised version in: Handke, Christian and Ruth Towse (eds.), Handbook of the Digital Creative Economy, Edward Elgar, 2013, pp. 365-377

Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property & Competition Law Research Paper No. 13-03

22 Pages Posted: 6 Feb 2013 Last revised: 17 Apr 2014

See all articles by Frank Mueller-Langer

Frank Mueller-Langer

University of the Bundeswehr Munich; Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition; European Commission, Joint Research Center

Marc Scheufen

Ruhr University Bochum

Date Written: January 11, 2013

Abstract

With the spread of the internet and new opportunities for publishing academic works digitally at virtually no costs, the traditional copyright model has recently been put under critical review which is for at least two reasons: First and foremost, a vast increase in subscription prices for academic journals has forced (university) libraries to significantly cut their journal portfolios. Second, copyright seems negligible in academia as researchers are motivated by reputation gains and CV effects rather than direct financial returns from publishing their works. As a consequence, the promotion of Open Access (OA) to scientific research is claimed as the perceived future of academic publishing in the information age.

This paper critically reviews the OA debate by discussing theoretical and empirical arguments on the role of copyright in publishing scientific outcomes. A brief historical perspective introduces to the changed environmental conditions for scholarly publishing, pointing to a new trade-off in the digital age. By framing the debate in a broader literature stream and related issues, we provide with caveat for further research and a glimpse of possible future scenarios. It is shown that copyright may be both a blessing and a curse in establishing an effective framework for scientific progress.

Keywords: Copyright, Open Access, Academic Publishing

Suggested Citation

Mueller-Langer, Frank and Scheufen, Marc, Academic Publishing and Open Access (January 11, 2013). Revised version in: Handke, Christian and Ruth Towse (eds.), Handbook of the Digital Creative Economy, Edward Elgar, 2013, pp. 365-377, Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property & Competition Law Research Paper No. 13-03, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2198400

Frank Mueller-Langer (Contact Author)

University of the Bundeswehr Munich ( email )

Munich
Germany

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Munich
Germany

European Commission, Joint Research Center

Seville
Spain

Marc Scheufen

Ruhr University Bochum ( email )

Massenbergstr. 11
BF 8.9
Bochum, 44787
Germany

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