Scientists urged to collect royalties from the ‘magic money tree’

"Anyone with publications to their name can join a collecting society and potentially receive payments. Baxter advises that scientists first determine what copyrights they own. “With books, authors aren’t generally asked to sign their copyright away,” she says. “In cases where they do have to, like when publishing in some academic journals, the contract can include a ‘quick clause’ that means the writer can still receive money from us.” These clauses can also apply to work that is published open access...."