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Dear Colleague, Thank you for your response to our survey on intellectual property and archaeology. Your feedback is essential for us to successfully develop policies and licensing terms that are needed to encourage open dissemination in our discipline. We will publicly share our findings in the coming months. Warmest regards, -Eric Kansa Executive Director, Alexandria Archive Inst. Visiting Scholar, Stanford University www.alexandriaarchive.org -----Original Message----- From: The archaeobotany mailing list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Linda Scott Cummings Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 3:19 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: SURVEY: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND ARCHAEOLOGY >Dear Colleagues, > >The Alexandria Archive Institute, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and >Creative Commons are launching a new project to help facilitate open >access and digital information sharing for archaeology and related >disciplines. > >To best meet the needs of researchers, students, the public, and other >stakeholders, we are formulating intellectual property policies and >guidelines. We are particularly interested in learning about any >intellectual property protections or limitations you feel are necessary to >preserve investment in archaeological investigation and dissemination, as >well as any concerns you might have about overprotection that now inhibits >access and use of information for instruction and research. > >We would be grateful for your help. Please forward this survey to your >colleagues and any relevant lists, and take a few moments to answer the >following questions. > >Please email all responses to: [log in to unmask] > > > > > >SURVEY: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND ARCHAEOLOGY (12 QUESTIONS) > >SECTION A: These first few questions will help us understand some aspects >of how the archaeological community relates to the broader community of >stakeholders. > > >(1) The following best describes my professional position (tenured >professor, graduate student, CRM researcher, etc.): Professional researcher > > >(2) If you allow your name to be associated with your responses, please >provide it below. Otherwise, we will assume that you wish to keep your >responses anonymous. > > Name: Dr. Linda Scott Cummings > Affiliation: Paleo Research Institute > > >(3) Have you ever had any intellectual property/copyright obligations >under the terms of any of your research permits or grants? If so, what >kinds of obligations? Can you provide us with copies of those >permits/grants? No > > >(4) Have you ever had any discussions regarding intellectual property or >copyright with those stakeholders? If so, which ones? Did you experience >any frustrations or insights from those conversations that you would like >to share with us? -- >Well, I've had a few archaeologists and water >engineers take my work and put their names on it >either for submission to the Federal Government >or for publication. So far, the articles that >have been submitted for publication have been >rejected on the basis that I did the work and >someone else was taking credit as the author. I >certainly hope that reviewers and journal >editors will continue to recognize the >importance of intellectual property and question >articles that do not appear to be written by the >person who did the work. > > >(5) Do you think we, as archaeologists, strike the right balance between >information access, the interests of researchers, the protection of >sensitive information, and the interests of other stakeholders, especially >members of indigenous communities? If not, how would you change the >current balance to make it better? > > >(6) Do you think it is fair to share attribution, commercialization, and >copyrights with other stakeholders, even if these other stakeholders were >not directly involved in funding or permitting your research? What effect >do you think it would have on relationships between archaeologists and >other communities if we were to share more of these rights? > > > > >SECTION B: Open IP policies would permit free copying, distribution, use, >reuse and reinterpretation of archaeological documentation for instruction >and research. Understanding and balancing professional incentives for such >open information resources is vital to guide our project to success. >Please keep these goals in mind as you answer the following questions: > > >(7) How do you feel about the current copyright restrictions and costs of >traditional publishing? Do these restrictions inhibit your instruction or >research? Has your research ever been hampered because relevant >information remains either unpublished or inadequately published? > > > (8) Would you be willing to share, via the Internet, your primary >documentation (maps, plans, image archives, databases, analyses, GIS >files, etc.) if this content was protected by a legal license that >requires anyone who uses your research to attribute you as the source? Some (maps, etc), yes, others (data bases) no. Much of my decision hinges on the amount of work I perceive it would take me (or that I would have to pay staff for) to get the information ready. We already share much on our website. > > >(9) Some researchers worry that open access to primary data enables rivals >to beat them to publication and professional advancement. A “do not >republish” term would allow the public free access and use of primary >research, so long as these uses do not include unauthorized publication in >a peer-review journal or similar outlet. Do you think a "do no republish" >term would encourage more authors to provide open access to their >materials? If so, how long should the term be in effect before materials >are open for free republication? No, and that's because the people who want to publish work done by others will not be bound by this request. > > >(10) If an Internet dissemination method has: (a) a peer-review mechanism, >(b) legal licenses that protect attribution and may guard against >competitive republication, (c) data longevity and stewardship assurances >from university digital library programs, (d) the ability to support >highly specific searches and the data filtering / aggregation power of a >database. Would you value this as much as traditional paper publication? >Do you think your colleagues would value it? Why or why not? Yes, probably > > >(11) In your opinion, is open access worth funding? If so, what sources of >funding do you think are best to sustain open dissemination channels? How >should foundations be involved? What about professional societies? Don't know > > >(12) If you have any other open access / intellectual property / copyright >concerns or suggestions, please add them here: > > > > > > > > > > >-------------------------------------------- >Eric C. Kansa > >Executive Director, Alexandria Archive Inst. >Visiting Scholar, Stanford University >www.alexandriaarchive.org -- Linda Scott Cummings, Ph.D. Paleo Research Institute 2675 Youngfield St. Golden, CO 80401 USA (303) 277-9848 fax: (303) 462-2700 http://www.paleoresearch.com --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.703 / Virus Database: 459 - Release Date: 6/10/2004 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.703 / Virus Database: 459 - Release Date: 6/10/2004