This message received from liblicense-l may interest elibbers. 

Leah Halliday
SCOPE Copyright Officer
The Library
University of Stirling
Stirling FK9 4LA
Tel: (01786) 466616
Fax: (01786) 466866
http://www.stir.ac.uk/infoserv/scope/



>----------
>From: 	SHARON MCKAY[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: 	29 April 1997 01:08
>To: 	[log in to unmask]
>Subject: 	RE: Non-exclusive licenses & copyright
>
>Blackwell's new service, the Electronic Journal Navigator, is essentially
>a distribution and access tool for electronic journals. Libraries can
>access all of the electronic journals to which they subscribe through a
>single search interface which links through to the electronic journal
>content. Libraries decide which electronic journals they want on
>subscription, and can place orders either through Blackwell's subscription
>services, via another agent or direct with the publisher. They have the
>option of accessing these journals via EJN (or any other method they
>choose). 
>
>Electronic journals that are accessible via EJN are still covered by the
>licenses between the libraries and publishers. Blackwell's does NOT own
>the copyright for these journals and does not "re-license" the electronic
>journals provided through the service. What Blackwell's does undertake is
>to assist in negotiating licenses with specific publishers on behalf of
>specific libraries when asked to do so, and we bring expertise and
>knowledge in this area that the libraries themselves might not have. 
>
>In addition, the Electronic Journal Navigator system enables the libraries
>to manage access to the electronic journals to which they subscribe
>according to the licenses they have with the publisher. It is each
>library's responsibility to ensure that the publishers' licenses are being
>adhered to within their institution, and EJN provides an easy method via
>our administration module to enable this. 
>
>
>+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
>Sharon Cline McKay
>Technical Sales Manager
>Blackwell's Periodicals
>http://www.blackwell.co.uk/journals/
>Phone: 801-942-9500
>Fax:      801-942-8013
>Email:   [log in to unmask]
>+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
>
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From:	Ann Okerson [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
>>Sent:	Saturday, April 26, 1997 9:09 PM
>>To:	[log in to unmask]
>>Subject:	Non-exclusive licenses & copyright
>>
>>As a reminder, I've reproduced the previous messages in a related
>>thread that debated the notion of shared copyright (good idea or bad),
>>because that particular discussion is now a few weeks old. 
>>
>>That thread lays the foundation for my somewhat different question.  It
>>regards the current practice on the part of no small number of
>>publishers, say of newspapers, journals, and reference works, to give
>>non-exclusive electronic licenses to different aggregators or vendors
>>(for example, IAC, Lexis-Nexis, OCLC, Blackwell).  These licenses enable
>>the aggregators or vendors to deliver the materials to their customers,
>>often packaged with other like materials that the vendor believes their
>>customer will want or need.  (Incidentally, these vendors or aggregators
>>are competitors or at least potential competitors with each other, except
>>that their current offerings overlap only somewhat but nowhere near even
>>50%, let alone 100%.)
>>
>>In any case, it is now becoming possible for a library to access the
>>same work from more than one on-line provider.
>>
>>I am curious about Liblicense-l readers' thoughts on the following
>>questions (because they seem genuinely interesting and in some cases
>>vexing): 
>>
>>o What is the effect of this new development on library customers?  You
>>might think that confusion would be one of them, as the same material
>>becomes available from multiple sources:  a very different situation
>>than in print on paper, isn't it?  Or is it? 
>>
>>o What is its effect, practically speaking, on creators/authors/copyright
>>holders?  Remember that the ownership plot thickens up under such a
>>situation and looks like this:
>>
>>1.  Copyright may be transferred to the publisher by the author -- or 
>>increasingly, it may be retained by the author with either an exclusive
>>or non-exclusive right transferred to the publisher.
>>
>>2.  The publisher offers a non-exclusive license to a vendor/aggregator
>>to distribute (re-license) the materials to the library customer.
>>
>>o How does an author or publisher decide where their best financial
>>interests lie, in such an environment?  How do they decide upon a fair
>>charge or pricing model now that their revenue is coming from this
>>rather more diverse financial base? 
>>
>>This new trend to non-exclusive online distribution feels to me as or
>>much more important than the notion of authors hanging on to their
>>copyrights. At least it seems parallel to it in that the vendors have
>>only (mostly) non-exclusive licenses from the publishers.  Actually, I
>>don't know how anyone can keep ownership straight in this kind of new
>>environment. Is it important to do so?
>>
>>I welcome additional insights and ways to our thinking about this
>>matter. 
>>
>>Ann Okerson
>>Associate University Librarian
>>Yale University
>>Co-Moderator, Liblicense-l
>>[log in to unmask]
>>________________________________
>


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