Film:
Author rights, your rights
SURFdirect, in cooperation with the Netwerk Auteursrechten Informatiepunten [Network of information centres for copyrights] of all Dutch universities, has made a short film (2.5 minutes) in which
Prof. Dirk Visser
, professor of Intellectual Property Law of Leiden University, and
Prof. Martijn Katan
, professor of Nutrition Sciences of VU University Amsterdam, state that authors are entitled to copyright.
Dirk Visser states that ‘many academic authors believe it is necessary to transfer their copyrights to the publisher when they publish a scientific article.
This, however, is not the case.
Copyright is something that lies with the author and that he can dispose of as he sees fit.’
Martijn Katan adds that publishers sometimes come up with unreasonable contracts.
Dirk Visser:
‘An author must always carefully consider whether it is a good idea to transfer his copyright to a publisher, and in some cases this is not a good idea and even unnecessary.
More and more publishers see reason and accept that a complete transfer of rights cannot be demanded from authors.’
