Date:  Fri, 11 Apr 1997 16:11:52 CST
From:  Ellen Johnson <Ellen.Johnson[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]WKU.EDU>
Subject: sharing data for free on internet

   I'm not really clear on how all this will affect linguists, but it is
   a warning that we may not be able to share our data over the internet
   if proposals in Congress to privatize access are passed. Ellen


______________________________ Forward Header
__________________________________
Subject: More on CODATA "Bits of Power" study
Author: Julian Humphries <julian[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UKANS.EDU> at INETGW
Date:  4/11/97 11:14 AM


A little more info on the Bits of Power study. What follows are the
introductory remarks to the press provided by the chair of the study
committee, Steve Berry. Anybody with additional questions about CODATA or
its activities should feel free to contact me for information.
 **********************************************

            Public Briefing April 10, 1997

               OPENING STATEMENT

               R. Stephen Berry

 James Franck Distinguished Service Professor Department of Chemistry and
      the James Franck Institute The University of Chicago

                   and

  Chair, Committee on Issues in the Transborder Flow of Scientific Data
             National Research Council

      Good morning. I welcome you today as we release the report
 Bits of Power: Issues in Global Access to Scientific Data. This report
 represents the work of a National Research Council committee that I have
 chaired during the past two years. At the behest of the U.S. National
 Committee for CODATA (Committee on Data for Science and Technology of the
 International Council of Scientific Unions), our study group has
 investigated the changing environment for the international exchange of
 data in the natural sciences. We have completed our study and now offer
 our conclusions and recommendations in this report.
      I shall assume that we all share the view that research in the
 natural sciences is a necessary component of our society, and that
 maintaining the health of this enterprise is something we all consider
 important. Scientific data are essential to that health; without ready
 access to data, scientists could not conduct their research.
      Fostered by the tools of modern electronic communication, the
 nature of science today is perhaps the most truly international of all
 human activities. In carrying out our research, we scientists exchange
 ideas and data as readily with colleagues in Tokyo or Sydney or Berlin as
 we do with those in our own universities or federal laboratories. A
 fundamental principle underlies our report which embodies this
 characteristic in the context of data: Full and open exchange of
 scientific data -- the "bits of power" on which the health of the
 scientific enterprise depends -- is vital for the nation's progress and
 for maximizing the social benefits that accrue from science worldwide.
 This principle of "full and open exchange" means that data and information
 derived from publicly funded research should be available with as few
 restrictions as possible, on a non-discriminatory basis, for no more than
 the cost of reproduction and distribution. This principle -- sometimes
 called "the Bromley principle" -- was first
 enunciated in the context of global change research, in a statement of
 the Office of Science and Technology Policy in July, 1991.
      Two trends, sometimes in conflict, are challenging the
 attainment of full and open sharing of scientific data across national
 boundaries. One is the rapid increase in volume of data that stems from
 technical advances such as computers, networks, and remote sensors. The
 other is a global trend toward imposing economic and legal restrictions
 on access to scientific data derived from publicly funded research. The
 first trend forces scientists to re-examine how they carry out their own
 work, and the second, to involve themselves in the formation of public
 policies that will affect their capabilities for doing research.
      One manifestation of these trends acting in concert is the
 growing congestion of the Internet. This stems from the simultaneous
 needs of scientists to exchange ever-larger volumes of data, and the
 evolution of the primary role of the Internet from a medium of scientific
 communication to a medium of commerce and entertainment.
      The committee is particularly concerned about possible changes
 to treaties and laws covering intellectual property, which would have
 adverse effects on the conduct of science. The problem reached a crux
 with current attempts, both national and international, to establish a new
 legal framework that threatens to subordinate the needs of scientists and
 others working in the public interest, to the interests of entrepreneurs
 in the business of selling databases. Put in perspective, the challenge
 of the underlying issue is finding a balance between the protection of
 public goods and the protection of individual intellectual property.
 Unfortunately, the concerns of the scientific and educational communities
 went unheard in the dialogue until very recently.
      The committee believes that it is imperative for the scientific
 community to have a part in formulating the structures that will suitably
 balance the public and private interests. This is especially important
 now because the World Intellectual Property Organization is considering a
 new treaty on database protection, and related proposals to enact
 domestic legislation protecting databases are under consideration for
 Congressional action. We view proposals that have appeared thus far as
 extremely threatening to the conduct of scientific research. They would
 remove the "fair use" exemptions which have long allowed scientists and
 educators to use copyrighted materials free or at very reduced costs,
 specifically for purposes such as research and teaching. These proposals
 would create exclusive, monopolistic rights of virtually unlimited
 duration for database owners, and would make it extremely difficult in
 many cases for competitive data-suppliers to enter the market.
      The committee recommends, as a general principle, that full and
 open access be adopted as the international norm for scientific data
 derived from publicly funded research. More specific recommendations fall
 into four categories: legal issues, economic issues, technological
 issues, and, of course, data issues internal to the natural sciences.
      The five recommendations concerning legal issues are directed
 toward the Office of Science and Technology Policy, science agencies and
 professional societies including CODATA, and all others concerned with
 sustaining the health of the scientific enterprise.
      First, these bodies should advocate and explain to all relevant
 legislative forums the principle of full and open exchange of scientific
 data.
      Second, they should demand that national and international
 legislative processes now in progress allow the scientific and
 educational communities to participate in the dialogue and present their
 views. This must be done to achieve a balance between concerns for
 public goods and for private intellectual property.
      Third, these groups should advocate the incorporation of fair
 use principles into any legislation or regulation structure applying to
 scientific data on electronic media.
      Fourth, these bodies and individuals should work with Congress
 and the U.S. representatives to the World Trade Organization and the
 World Intellectual Property Organization to resist measures that could
 weaken the nation's preeminence in science and technology.
      Finally, these issues should be pursued not only within the
 United States but also internationally, through international scientific
 organizations and U.S. foreign policy channels concerned with
 intellectual property.
      The dominant economic concerns of the report stem from the ways
 and means by which scientific data are generated, archived and
 distributed, and with the trend toward commercialization of increasing
 quantities of data. Some of this commercialization is privatization of
 activities that were previously done by governments, and some is entry of
 governments into commercial vending of data. One might initially suppose
 that privatizing the distribution of scientific data would be desirable.
 However, a careful analysis shows that the market for scientific data is
 very different from those of ordinary commerce, and that privatization
 may, in many situations, be undesirable for the society as a whole. The
 committee recommends a set of economic criteria for structuring
 facilities and institutions for the distribution of scientific data
 generated by public funding.
      Within the sciences, relevant scientific organizations should
 examine the development of better coordinated networks of data centers.
 Planning is needed now to find stable ways to maintain the effectiveness
 of the Internet or some variant thereof for exchange of scientific
 information. Scientists who generate data through publicly funded
 research should make their results available as soon as possible. If
 they wish to hold a data set for some period in order to explore its
 consequences, the duration of that period should be established by the
 particular scientific communities, and adherence should be monitored by
 the appropriate funding agency. The Office of Science and Technology
 Policy should develop an overall policy for the long-term retention of
 scientific data. Finally, a variety of efforts, including aid in the
 form of computers and networks, is needed to assist developing countries
 to participate fully in electronic data management and exchange for
 research and education--for their benefit and
 ours.
      Thank you all. We would like to begin now to take your
 questions. Would you come to one of the standing microphones and state
 your name and affiliation before you begin your question?

Received: from axp1.wku.edu by INETGW.WKU.EDU (SMTPLINK V2.11 PreRelease 4)
  ; Fri, 11 Apr 97 11:14:10 CST
Return-Path: <owner-taxacom[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU>
Received: from cmsa.Berkeley.EDU by axp1.wku.edu (MX V4.3 Alpha) with SMTP;
     Fri, 11 Apr 1997 11:14:02 CDT
Received: from CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU by cmsa.Berkeley.EDU (IBM VM SMTP V2R3) with
     BSMTP id 4362; Fri, 11 Apr 97 09:10:21 PDT
Received: from CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UCBCMSA) by
     CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 6414; Fri, 11 Apr
     1997 09:10:13 -0700
Received: from CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU by CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU (LISTSERV release
1.8b)
     with NJE id 7987 for TAXACOM[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU; Fri, 11 Apr 1997
     09:10:08 -0700
Received: from UCBCMSA (NJE origin SMTPSERV[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UCBCMSA) by
CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU
     (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 6388; Fri, 11 Apr 1997 09:08:16 -0700
Received: from eagle.cc.ukans.edu by cmsa.Berkeley.EDU (IBM VM SMTP V2R3) with
     TCP; Fri, 11 Apr 97 09:08:11 PDT
Received: from [129.237.201.199] by eagle.cc.ukans.edu;
     (5.65v3.2/1.1.8.2/12Jan95-0207PM) id AA06552; Fri, 11 Apr 1997
     11:09:44 -0500
X-Sender: julian[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]eagle.cc.ukans.edu
X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0.1 (16)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Message-ID: <3.0.1.16.19970411111007.728f3c16[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]eagle.cc.ukans.edu>
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 11:10:07 -0400
Reply-To: Julian Humphries <julian[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UKANS.EDU>
Sender: Biological Systematics Discussion List <TAXACOM[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]cmsa.Berkeley.EDU>
From: Julian Humphries <julian[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UKANS.EDU>
Subject: More on CODATA "Bits of Power" study
To: Multiple recipients of list TAXACOM <TAXACOM[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]cmsa.Berkeley.EDU>
In-Reply-To: <F0BAC26371F[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]BIOL.SC.EDU>