Here you will find a suite of standard licenses designed for the acquisition of electronic journals and other electronic resources. They contain the words needed to express most of the variables publishers and librarians – and the subscription agents who are experienced in handling the supply of journals - will meet in negotiating licenses.

The four licenses on this site have been developed for four different types of licensee

Single academic institutions	License - HTML	DOC	RTF	Commentary
Academic consortia	License - HTML	DOC	RTF	Commentary
Public libraries	License - HTML	DOC	RTF	Commentary
Corporate and other special libraries	License - HTML	DOC	RTF	Commentary

These licenses were originally sponsored by and developed in close co-operation with major subscription agents: EBSCO, Harrassowitz, and Swets. Each of these international subscription agents has traditionally rationalized and eased the process of ordering journals from many publishers. They provide bibliographic and management services to libraries, and an effective distribution channel for 20,000 publishers world-wide. The negotiation and management of licenses for electronic information is a natural expansion of this long-established activity. They have brought unparallelled experience of libraries and their needs to these licenses.

Without the huge effort that has already gone into licensing during the 1990s, these licenses would not have been possible. The starting point was the UK's PA/JISC model license, jointly developed by publishers and librarians from the Publishers Association and the Joint Information Systems Committee of the Higher Education Funding Councils. It was a vital source of format, concepts and model provisions. The US Principles for Licensing Electronic Resources from the American Library Association et al, and the Statements of Current Perspectives from the International Coalition of Library Consortia were both important sources of ideas, as were the LIBLICENSE web site and many publishers’ individual licenses. Grateful acknowledgement is due to all.

They do not prescribe the outcome of those negotiations, but are designed to account for the varying needs of different types of customer, and the requirements and policies of different publishers. They contain a range of variables, so that the clause appropriate to each situation can be selected in compiling the license. They are the result of consultation in which librarians, publishers and subscription agents have been actively involved.

Scholarly publishing is truly international in its scope. But licenses have to take account of local circumstances and local legal requirements. These models have been written to express clearly and succinctly what has been negotiated. They contain optional clauses that may vary depending on the country, state or province where the license is to operate.

The licenses will be updated when there are new requirements, products or business models to deal with. The versions to be found on this site were substantially updated in 2000, and remain current. They have been widely adopted by publishers and are familiar to librarians. They still cover all the issues that are likely to arise in respect when licensing journals. If you have downloaded a license in previous years, always check this site to be sure you are using the current version.

License development has been undertaken by John Cox Associates Ltd, an international publishing consultancy with particular expertise in licensing and content management. Any comments, suggested amendments or additional provisions should be addressed to:

John Cox Associates Ltd

Rookwood

Bradden

TOWCESTER

Northants NN12 8ED

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 1327 861184

Fax: +44 (0) 20 8043 1053

E-mail: John.E.Cox@btinternet.com

No! They are in the public domain. They have been placed there by the sponsoring subscription agents to benefit the community. They are intended to help publishers, subscription agents and libraries to create agreements that express what they have negotiated.

THESE LICENSES, AND THE USAGE NOTES AND COMMENTARY THAT ACCOMPANIES EACH OF THEM, ARE A COMMUNITY EFFORT TO PRODUCE STANDARD WORDING THAT WILL APPLY TO THE RESULTS OF MOST LICENSE NEGOTIATIONS.

THEY SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR FORMAL LEGAL ADVICE. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN DRAFTED BY LEGAL PRACTITIONERS. NEITHER JOHN COX ASSOCIATES LTD NOR ANY OF THE SPONSORING SUBSCRIPTION AGENTS HOLD THEMSELVES OUT TO BE QUALIFIED OR AUTHORISED TO GIVE LEGAL ADVICE, AND DO NOT ACCEPT ANY LIABILITY WHATSOEVER IN RESPECT OF ANY CLAIM, PROCEEDING, LOSS OR DAMAGE ARISING FROM THESE LICENSES OR ANY USE MADE OF THEM.

EBSCO Subscription Services:	www.ebsco.com
Otto Harrassowitz:	www.harrassowitz.de
Swets Information Services:	www.swets.com