RE: Author/Inst. Self-Archiving - Journal of Machine Learning Resear ch

["Rick Anderson" <rickand@unr.edu>]

[N.B.  it is our understanding that Kluwer now does permit authors to
self-archive.  The Mderators]

>  The editorial board of the Kluwer journal
> resigned because authors were not allowed to self archive.  Were they
> trying to self archive the actual pdf of the Kluwer journal (the Kluwer
> "look and feel", which is arguably copyrightable, even in Stevan Harnad's
> view (see: http://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Tp/resolution.htm), or
> merely the words.  What is copyrighted - the science or the look?  Is
> there a difference?

The science contained in the article cannot be copyrighted.  But the
written explanation of it can be -- and, indeed, is under copyright the
moment it is written.  As to whether Elsevier holds the copyright to the
work itself or only the format in which the work is presented: every time
I've written for an Elsevier-owned journal I have had to sign over all
copyright to Elsevier. For this reason, I don't publisher articles in
Elsevier journals to which I wish to retain the rights.  (I've been told,
however, that Elsevier will negotiate rights.  I've never tried, myself.)

-------------
Rick Anderson
Director of Resource Acquisition
The University Libraries
University of Nevada, Reno        "The only thing worse than a
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rickand@unr.edu