Call to action: Oppose H.R. 3699 the “Research Works Act"

"H.R. 3699, the “Research Works Act," introduced on December 16, and referred to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. This bill would prohibit federal agencies from conditioning their grant funding to require that all members of the public be guaranteed online access to the products of the research that their tax dollars fund. This will significantly inhibit our ability to advance scientific discovery and stimulate innovation in all scientific disciplines." from  Draft letter text - Oppose H.R. 3699  from taxpayer@ccess.org.

 

The main critical points of the bill: 

"No Federal agency may adopt, implement, maintain, continue, or otherwise engage in any policy, program, or other activity that ... (1) causes, permits, or authorizes network dissemination of any private-sector research work without the prior consent of the publisher of such work; or (2) requires that any actual or prospective author, or the employer of such an actual or prospective author, assent to network dissemination of a private-sector research work."