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LIBLICENSE <[log in to unmask]>
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LibLicense-L Discussion Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 2 Mar 2016 20:53:01 -0500
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From: "Jim O'Donnell" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 2 Mar 2016 17:05:26 -0700

The language of “forced” and “driven” certainly offended me when the
publicity about the SPARC piece on NPR circulated.  Not only does it
put librarians and scientists/scholars in a bad light, it’s just plain
untrue.  (Contempt for the law because it requires you to click your
trackpad a few times too many or wait 48 hours quite reeks of 1%
privilege, I’m sorry to say.)

Those who think of this work as civil disobedience do unwarranted
honor to the SciHub impresario, hiding in a foreign country and using
phishing tactics to advance the cause.  I doubt any employee of an
American university wants to be told by their employer that they have
not only violated the acceptable use policy of the institution (loss
of network privileges a likely consequence) but also “acted beyond the
scope of one’s employment”, which leaves the one who has done so to
pay all legal costs and face all legal consequences quite alone.

We have in fact made vast progress towards a much more open and
accessible common collection of scientific and scholarly information.
 The creative, responsible, sensible course is to work for further
improvement.

Jim O’Donnell
ASU

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