Scientific publishing is a rip-off. We fund the research – it should be free | George Monbiot

Those who take on the global industry that traps research behind paywalls are heroes, not thievesNever underestimate the power of one determined person. What Carole Cadwalladr has done to Facebook and big data, and Edward Snowden has done to the state security complex, Alexandra Elbakyan has done to the multibillion-dollar industry that traps knowledge behind paywalls. Sci-Hub, her pirate web scraper service, has done more than any government to tackle one of the biggest rip-offs of the modern era: the capture of publicly funded research that should belong to us all. Everyone should be free to learn; knowledge should be disseminated as widely as possible. No one would publicly disagree with these sentiments. Yet governments and universities have allowed the big academic publishers to deny these rights. Academic publishing might sound like an obscure and fusty affair, but it uses one of the most ruthless and profitable business models of any industry.The model was pioneered by the notorious conman Robert Maxwell. He realised that, because scientists need to be informed about all significant developments in their field, every journal that publishes academic papers can establish a monopoly and charge outrageous fees for the transmission of knowledge. He called his discovery “a perpetual financing machine”. He also realised that he could capture other people’s labour and resources for nothing. Governments funded the research published by his company, Pergamon, while... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #alexandra elbakyan #modern era #academic publishing #significant developments #technical term

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Jackie Collins enters digital self-publishing

Jackie Collins is going into self-publishing, with plans to release an ebook version of The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Murdoch Leaves News Corp. Publishing Unit

More fallout from PhoneGate: News Corp. executive James Murdoch has "relinquished his position" as executive chairman head of News International, the conglomerate's British newspaper unit. News Corp., which also owns this Web site, says News International chief executive Tom Mockridge will stay... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-02-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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GateHouse Media to use SAXOTECH to Manage Print and Digital Content Across Publishing Platforms

Tampa, Fla. — February 28, 2012 — SAXOTECH, a leader in content management, circulation and advertising technology, today announced GateHouse Media, Inc. (GateHouse Media) has selected the SAXOTECH Mediaware Center and SAXOTECH On ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hannah Westland new Serpent's Tail publisher

Serpent's Tail has appointed Hannah Westland, previously an agent at Rogers, Coleridge &... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adobe Technology Powering Massive Growth in Digital Publishing

BARCELONA, Spain--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--At Mobile World Congress, Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced that more than 16 million digital publications were powered by Adobe® Digital Publishing Suite across tablets o ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Specialist publishers pile into e-first titles

Specialist publishers are expanding their digital strategies, with Wiley, Aurum, Icon and Lonely... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Real-Time Advertising Bidding Offers Publisher Control

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[ Folio Magazine | 2012-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Little, Brown to publish J K Rowling's first adult novel

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK publishers' "concern" over Amazon ebook removals

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iMedia Revenue Ltd. Provides Newspaper Publishers With Forum For Online Business Opportunities

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[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Academic publishing facing "unprecedented challenges"

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rankin tells Orion: 'Authors need publishers'

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-published authors’ market share surges

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers need to expand digital backlist, says Bilbary founder

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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International publisher alliance shuts down piracy site

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lupton hails self-published authors, wins Nielsen Gold

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sweeney new Windmill publishing director

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Inkling Introduces Cloud-based Publishing Tool

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[ PC World | 2012-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Newsday Wins Three New York News Publishers Association Awards for Excellence

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[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Free digital Joy of Sex from Octopus

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[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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