From: Ann Shumelda Okerson <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, Jul 19, 2018 at 10:26 PM

What do readers think of this provocative assertion by Joe Esposito?  The German discussions are indeed highly visible, but folks who've been paying attention over the last few years will have observed that various negotiating groups have also made increasingly interesting and custom arrangements with a number of the larger publishers.  DEAL has been inspired by those, and potentially the DEAL arrangement should break barriers for subsequent arrangements.  

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"Elsevier last week stopped thousands of scientists in Germany from reading its recent journal articles, as a row escalates over the cost of a nationwide open-access agreement.

"The move comes just two weeks after researchers in Sweden lost access to the most recent Elsevier research papers, when negotiations on its contract broke down over the same issue.

"Negotiators on both sides in Germany now seem to be waiting for the other to blink, says Joseph Esposito, a publishing consultant in New York City. The highly public nature of the stand-off means that "any deal Elsevier does with them becomes the de facto deal for the entire world," he adds."

[SNIP]

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05754-1