U.K. Getting More Serious About Open Access Scientific Research

"Two developments in the U.K. indicate that it should be much easier to both access and make available, more scientific information connected to research papers. [1] Last week the House of Commons Select Science and Technology Committee (perhaps my favorite legislative science and technology committee) issued a report strongly encouraging greater disclosure and availability of scientific data (H/T Science of Science Policy)....[2] Recent proposed changes to U.K. copyright law could make this much easier to accomplish. Last updated in 1988, U.K. copyright law requires researchers who want to access materials to digitize and search for research purposes to obtain permission from the original authors. Depending on the age of the research, that may not be possible. (This phenomenon of orphan works is a serious sticking point in the Google Books matter.) Under the proposed changes, there would be an exemption granted to researchers to allow them to use data and text mining of relevant literature for research purposes without obtaining permission...."