As the SCOPE project, and the eLib programme as a whole, are scheduled
to end next year, we are now in a position where we must agree with
publishers the detail of how digital copies of copyright materials will
be stored under escrow. I have been advised by Charles Oppenheim that a
standard escrow arrangement would operate as follows: data would be held
in a secure store - either on a publisher's  premises if they own a
secure store, or at an independent or reputable data archive service
such as that at Hay's Wharf. The cost of storage would be borne by the
publisher (and would be minimal at this stage). Only the publisher could
release the data by explicit written agreement. The publisher would not
be permitted to release the material to any other third party, or to use
it for their own purposes without the consent of the party that had
digitized the material and supplied it to the publisher (e.g. SCOPE). In
effect,  a project would present a publisher with the data and the
publisher would control its release but should the material be required
after storage it would not be necessary to rekey it.

This scenario has given rise to queries at a more detailed level from
publishers, for example:
1. Who will administer the data ? 
2. What form will data be stored in, e.g. object or source code ?
3. What physical format will data be stored on, e.g. high-density floppy
disks ?
4. Whether standards for storage, e.g. temperature and security, will be
dictated by the project.
5. How long a publisher will be expected to store materials for ?
6. What happens if data deteriorate ?

Has anyone on the list  actually agreed an escrow arrangement with one
or more publishers ? I would be interested to hear the detail. I would
also like to hear about  other issues or queries that have been raised
during eLib negotiations with publishers over escrow. 




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