This book addresses the recent debate about copyright law and its impact on the distribution of scientific knowledge from an economic perspective. The focus is on the question whether a copyright regime or an open access regime is better suited to the norms and organizational structure in a purely global science community. The book undertakes a thorough economic analysis of the academic journal market and showcases consequences of a regime change. It also takes account of the Digital Divide debate, reflecting issues in developing countries. Finally, a comprehensive analysis of legal action in the light of international Intellectual Property (IP) agreements offers prospects on the future of academic publishing.

Presents an economic analysis of the role of copyright in academic publishing Compares the classic copyright regime with an open access regime and studies the consequences of a regime change Offers insights into the international scientific journal market by analyzing the role of authors, publishers, and academic institutions Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt
Introduction.- Some Fundamental Economics.- Academic Journal Publishing and the Open Access Movement.- On the Access Principle in Science: A Law & Economics Analysis.- The Future of Academic Publishing.- Conclusions and Further Research.- Appendix.