Re: NIH as publisher

["Michael Carroll" <Carroll@law.villanova.edu>]

Joe,

Please take a look at what's being published before you fly off the
handle.  PubChem is a database of factual information, chemical compounds
and the like, that is in the *public domain*. See
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=DisplayFiltered&DB=pccompound

Gathering and organizing public domain information that speeds
publicly-funded biomedical research is a perfectly legitimate public
function.

Best,

Michael W. Carroll
Associate Professor of Law
Villanova University School of Law
Research papers at 
http://ssrn.com/author=330326 

>>> espositoj@gmail.com 6/2/2005 12:58:23 AM >>>

I never thought I would be taking the side of the American Chemical
Society on anything, but this story really stunned me:

http://www.fcw.com/article88988-05-27-05-Web 

So now the NIH is becoming a publisher!  It is one thing for the NIH to
stipulate that research it has funded must include a Web-posted article (a
knuckleheaded thing, but it is a funder's prerogative).  But it is another
thing for the NIH to publish material that has nothing to do with NIH
grants.  I don't get it.  Where does it end?  Now we have taxpayer-funded
publishers, why not taxpayer-funded ice cream stores and give Ben &
Jerry's a run for their money.

Chemical Abstracts is arguably the most valuable publishing property in
the world, surpassing even Harry Potter.  I would imagine the ACS will
fight vigorously to protect this asset, as would I, as would just about
anyone.  What a waste of everybody's time.  Oh, NIH, why don't you grow
up?

-- 
Joe Esposito