February 14, 2003

The Law Against Sharing Knowledge

By EDWARD R. JOHNSON

I remember the days when the only licenses that mattered were the ones that allowed you to drive, fish and hunt, or get married. Today it seems that licensing is taking over the world of academic libraries, and putting scholars' ability to exchange information at risk. Stories of draconian contract terms in licenses from software vendors and the publishers of electronic databases and periodical indexes circulate like tall tales -- but they are usually true. We will hear even more such

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