Legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 3 “would constitute a blow to the public’s right to access vital scientific data” if it goes forward, according to a statement by the Association of Health Care Journalists.
The Fair Copyright in Research Works Act, HR 801, introduced by U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. and others, would reverse a National Institutes of Health policy that requires federal research grantees to provide their peer-reviewed articles to PubMed Central, a free online database. Under the existing policy, manuscripts resulting from federally-funded research must be made publicly available within 12 months of their publication date.
Related
See what others are saying about the proposed legislation:
- DigitalKoans: Fair Copyright in Research Works Act: Ten Associations and Advocacy Groups Send Letter to Judiciary Committee Members Opposing Act
- Free Government Information: Act now for open access to govt funded research
- American Library Association:Conyers Introduces H.R. 801, “The Fair Copyright in Research Works Act”
- Open Access News: Comments on the Conyers bill, #4
- Open Access Blog: Nathan Georgette follows the money and finds that “Conyers’ third single largest campaign contributor in 2008 was the American Intellectual Property Law Association.
