Germany vs Elsevier: universities win temporary journal access after
refusing to pay fees
"The Dutch publishing giant Elsevier has granted uninterrupted access
to its paywalled journals for researchers at around 200 German
universities and research institutes that had refused to renew their
individual subscriptions at the end of 2017.
"The institutions had formed a consortium to negotiate a nationwide
licence with the publisher. They sought a collective deal that would
give most scientists in Germany full online access to about 2,500
journals at about half the price that individual libraries have paid
in the past. But talks broke down and, by the end of 2017, no deal had
been agreed. Elsevier now says that it will allow the country’s
scientists to access its paywalled journals without a contract until a
national agreement is hammered out. "