RE: Problems with Blackwell Publishing Standard License Agreement

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

> This license does not require a signature, but, we are supposed to make
> the terms available to our users.  Since it does not require a signature
> are the rest of you ignoring the license assuming that it would not stand
> in a court of law?

Unless you sign it, it's not a contract -- at least, not unless you're in
a UCITA state, in which case I believe there's a bit more murkiness to the
legal status of "contracts of adhesion."  I make it a point not to
negotiate license agreements that don't require a signature.  It's too
much work, takes too much time and grants too much implied legitimacy to
what is not, in fact, a legally binding document.

-------------
Rick Anderson
Director of Resource Acquisition
The University Libraries
University of Nevada, Reno          "It takes a pretty good
1664 No. Virginia St.                meeting to be better
Reno, NV  89557                      than no meeting at all."
PH  (775) 784-6500 x273                -- Boyd K. Packer
FX  (775) 784-1328
rickand@unr.edu