Book Launch at Più Libri Più Liberi 2024
Blog post by Deborah De Angelis
On 4 December 2024, at the Più Libri Più Liberi fair in Rome, the book “Conserving Authors’ Rights and Secondary Publishing Rights in the Scientific Field“ was presented.
This work addresses critical issues surrounding the protection of authors’ rights and policies on access to scientific literature. It was developed as part of the Right2Pub project—an initiative amplifying the scientific community’s voice on rights retention and secondary publishing rights—funded by the Knowledge Rights 21 program.
The event drew a significant in-person audience and featured insights from three journalists—Gina Pavone, Alessandro Beltrami, and Andrea Capocci—interviewed by Deborah De Angelis, the Italian coordinator of KR21 and co-editor of the book, along with Sebastiano Faro and Ginevra Peruginelli.
De Angelis emphasised that sharing knowledge is the cornerstone of science as a collective inquiry and creation process driven by collaboration and critical review. She highlighted how some European countries have adopted legal frameworks to enable open access to scientific knowledge and advocated for specific provisions for scientific works within copyright legislation. Such provisions would allow authors to decide freely on the access and dissemination of their works.
Key contributions from the panel
- Gina Pavone, a technologist at the National Research Council (CNR) and a journalist specialising in data analysis, stressed the importance of accessible knowledge. She critiqued the current system, in which public funds are spent on accessing scientific literature without coherent open-access policies. Pavone called for more inclusive and cost-effective solutions, arguing that science, as a public good, should not be locked behind barriers.
- Alessandro Beltrami, journalist for Avvenire and Luoghi dell’Infinito, highlighted the critical need to integrate copyright education into cultural training. He stressed that awareness of authors’ rights and the dynamics of scientific publishing is essential, not just for professionals but for society at large.
- Andrea Capocci, journalist for Il Manifesto and a physicist specialising in complex systems, reflected on the 20 years since the Messina Declaration—a pivotal moment in the open-access movement. He underscored the ongoing conflict between large publishers and open access, advocating for recognising science as a public good that should be freely accessible to all.
A pressing need for copyright reform
The discussion called for rethinking the scientific publishing system to ensure free and sustainable access to research results while respecting authors’ rights. The speakers urged balancing protecting authors with fostering equitable, democratic, and accessible knowledge dissemination.
This event highlighted the pressing need for copyright reform tailored to scientific publications, reinforcing the idea that science is a collective heritage for the benefit of all.
11 December 2024
