German University Tells Elsevier 'No Deal' | Science | AAAS

"In the latest skirmish between academia and publishers over the costs of academic journals, the University of Konstanz in Germany has broken off negotiations over a new licensing agreement with the scientific publisher Elsevier. The publisher’s prices are too high, said university Rector Ulrich Rüdiger in a statement, and the institution “will no longer keep up with this aggressive pricing policy and will not support such an approach.”

Journals offered by the Dutch publishing giant, which sells more than 2500 titles, were covered by what was the university’s most expensive license by far, says Julia Wandt, the university’s head of communications and marketing. Negotiations had been ongoing since October, she says.

The average Elsevier journal license cost 3400 euros ($4693) per year, three times as high as licenses offered by the second-priciest publisher, the university said in a statement. Wandt says Elsevier’s prices had increased more than 30% in the last 5 years...."