ALLEA advocates for EU-wide secondary publication rights and better negotiation of future 'big deals'

With the number of scholarly publications shared via the Gold Open Access model on the rise, access to the results of (often publicly funded) research is at an all-time high. However, breaking down these barriers for readers has come at the expense of increased barriers for authors, who often face substantial article processing charges (APCs) to publish their work immediately as Open Access.

This has led to a further increase in the exorbitant costs spent on scholarly publishing and creates significant disadvantages for researchers from the Global South, underfunded researchers in the social sciences and humanities, and early career researchers, among others. So-called 'Big Deals' – 'read and publish agreements' between (consortia of) research libraries, institutions, and universities on the one hand, and scientific publishers on the other – have further exacerbated these inequities and contributed to the consolidation of the already dominant market position of the major commercial publishers.

In addition, ALLEA is concerned that the conditions of the 'Big Deals' fail to adequately reflect the new rules on copyright law in the European Union (EU), and do not fairly value the creative and research endeavours of academics and their institutions, as well as their investment and efforts to generate research results to the benefit of the public. While EU and national copyright laws provide for a variety of rules intended to facilitate the free use and sharing of research publications, the current 'Big Deals' do not generally factor in these statutory free uses.

To arrive at a more equitable and affordable system that takes into account the new EU copyright rules, ALLEA recommends:

1. Researchers and libraries to better consider their rights under the new EU copyright rules when negotiating the next generation of deals.
2. Researchers and libraries to depart from the rights assignment model that still prevails today.
3. Harmonisation of EU national copyright legislation and introduction of EU-wide Secondary Publication Rights without embargo.
4. Further development of a community-driven non-profit publishing ecosystem.

About this statement

This statement has been drawn up by the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities ALLEA, of which the Academy is a member (see also the International page). The permanent ALLEA Working Group Intellectual Property Rights was responsible for its production. The Academy is represented in this working group by Bernt Hugenholtz.

Contact

For more information, please contact Melle Kromhout, policy advisor on international affairs, or contact ALLEA directly.

About ALLEA

ALLEA is the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, representing more than 50 academies from about 40 countries in Europe. Since its foundation in 1994, ALLEA speaks out on behalf of its members on the European and international stages, promotes science as a global public good, and facilitates scientific collaboration across borders and disciplines.