The policy of arXiv

[Marco Grandis <grandis@dima.unige.it>]

Dear Sirs,

Before deciding of using arXiv in a systematic way, I would like that =20=

there be a clear statement of its policy and commitments; a statement =20=

which, likely, the organisers and many of us take as understood and =20
granted, but which I have been unable to find.

To be more explicit, what about the possibility of the system being, =20
in future, exploited economically? What about the possibility of it =20
being sold to a commercial company?

When downloading an article to the arXiv, the author is asked to =20
grant 'a perpetual, non-exclusive license to distribute this =20
article'. I think the author has a right to know that this license =20
will not be used, in the future, for goals which would be in contrast =20=

with the present (understood) ones, or even opposite to them.

Last year I wrote a message in this sense to the list =20
'categories' (categories@mta,ca), where arXiv has been frequently =20
proposed as a way of disseminating articles. In December 2006 there =20
was a discussion about these points in a blog kept by John Baez

    http://golem.ph.utexas.edu/category/2006/12/=20
arxiv_policy_statement.html

This is part of a posting by John Baez, on this blog:

"Many people like to have some idea of what an organization seeks to =20
do, or is committed to do, before they do business with it.

For this reason, it=92s unusual for such an important entity as the =20
arXiv not to make a public statement about its goals and commitments. =20=

Consider, for example, the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to =20
Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities, and its many signatories, =20
or the statement by the Wellcome Trust supporting open access, or the =20=

Wikimedia mission statement and bylaws, or the Google code of conduct =20=

and privacy policy.  "  (end of citation)

As far as I know, there still is no policy statement available. One =20
can only read, at the head of the 'arXiv Advisory Board' page:

"Please note that all arXiv policy decisions are ultimately made by =20
Cornell University Library."

Will the Cornell University Library make its arXiv policy public?

With best regards

Marco Grandis

Dipartimento di Matematica
Universit=E0 di Genova
Via Dodecaneso, 35
16146 Genova
Italy

e-mail: grandis@dima.unige.it
tel: +39 010 353 6805
http://www.dima.unige.it/~grandis/=