Well, not exactly... if you have the money to pay then of course you can
have access. As a graduate I can walk into an academic library and make
use of the various resources. But I can't get on-line access to academic
journals and databases on my home computer because the copyright
contract prevents my alumni library from doing so since they cannot
afford to pay the increased costs. Living 360 miles away from Sydney I
am thus limited. Even accessing something like JSTOR costs quite a bit
for an individual and beyond my limited means. Things can just as
restrictive in the US, according to Steven Shaviro.
However, having a graduate degree I can apply for a job in the US just I
can in Australia. It is all tied up in the free trade agreements, users
pay and free market ideology. When I was a research student I did have
access to the system including having books posted to me.
> Australian copyright law restricts the circulation of books to the
> "official" users of certain types of libraries? --that's a terrifying idea.
> Sounds--fortunately--utterly unenforceable as well as entirely opposed to
> the public interest. No equivalent in Australian law to the First Amendment
> in the U.S. Constitution? You're making me rethink my lifelong desire to see
> Australia. But then, who could afford it?
> >
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