Last year, a coalition of multiple publishers alleged infringement of millions of works by ResearchGate (a popular networking site for academics), with a few of those publishers even going so far as to file a lawsuit against them. This case continues, with a Munich court holding their first hearing just days ago.
On April 19, 2018, however, three of those publishers (Springer Nature, Cambridge University Press, and Thieme) announced that they had reached an agreement with ResearchGate. This agreement both protects against copyright infringement and also allows those publishers who support the work of ResearchGate to be a part of it.
Among other things, the agreement states that:
- Both ResearchGate and the publishers will work together to educate users in regards to copyright-protected works and how they can or cannot be shared.
- ResearchGate will work with the publishers to promptly remove any material they find to be infringing.
- ResearchGate will allow publishers more visibility in regards to its usage of their content.
By cooperating, then, these groups have not only avoided litigation, but have demonstrated that there is a middle ground between publishers and academics, even in regards to internet sharing of materials. Both groups see the benefits that can be gained from such collaboration, and hope that their actions here will help to not only share research but to further it.