Open Access and Ownership of Publicly Funded Research

Publicly funded scientific research in India and worldwide is mostly financed by governments. Despite this, the results often appear in journals owned by a few commercial publishers. These publishers do not pay authors or peer reviewers, who contribute freely. Instead, publishers charge high fees to access the research, causing the public to pay twice – once for research funding and again for access.

Background of Open Access Movement

The Budapest Open Access Declaration of 2002 challenged the traditional publishing model. It brought into light the unfairness of expensive paywalls in a digital age. The declaration aimed to make publicly funded research freely accessible to all. Over two decades later, this ideal is still not fully realised. Commercial publishers have adapted by charging high Article Processing Charges (APCs) instead of subscription fees. Many researchers, especially in the Global South, find these costs prohibitive.

India’s ‘One Nation One Subscription’ Initiative

To improve access, India launched the ‘One Nation One Subscription’ (ONOS) scheme in 2025. It provides access to journals from 30 major international publishers for publicly funded institutions. Although costly, ONOS aims to democratise knowledge beyond elite centres. However, it raises questions about continuing to pay foreign publishers for access to research funded by Indian taxpayers. The initiative marks the tension between access and ownership in scholarly communication.

Copyright and Knowledge Ownership

Copyright transfer agreements require authors to give publishers exclusive rights to their work. This practice began with copyright laws like the US Copyright Act 1976. Publishers use these rights to control distribution and monetise research through subscriptions. Open access journals now allow authors to retain copyright under licences such as Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY). However, many authors still sign over copyright due to academic pressure, limiting reuse and dissemination.

Creative Commons Licences and Their Impact

Creative Commons licences define how research can be reused. CC-BY permits sharing and adaptation with credit. CC BY-NC restricts commercial use. CC BY-NC-ND forbids commercial use and modifications. Publishers often favour the most restrictive licence, CC BY-NC-ND. This limits educational and technological innovation by blocking translation, remixing, and text mining.

Challenges from Commercial Publishers and AI Data Deals

Major publishers like Elsevier and Wiley require copyright transfer for subscription journals. They control access and profit from the content. Recently, publishers have sold scholarly content to Big Tech for AI training without author consent. For example, Taylor & Francis’s $10 million deal with Microsoft reflects a growing market valued at nearly $486 million in 2025. This means researchers’ work is monetised multiple times without compensation or control.

Steps Authors Can Take

Authors can self-archive preprints and accepted manuscripts in repositories. They can negotiate contract terms to retain rights using tools like the SPARC Author Addendum. Institutions can adopt rights-retention policies to ensure open licensing of scholarly output. Choosing CC-BY licences and open access publishing routes helps keep research freely accessible and protects against unauthorised commercial use.

Questions for UPSC:

1. Critically analyse the impact of commercial publishers on the accessibility of publicly funded scientific research in India.
2. Comment on the role of Creative Commons licences in promoting open access to knowledge and their limitations with suitable examples.
3. Explain the significance of the ‘One Nation One Subscription’ initiative and discuss its implications for India’s research ecosystem and intellectual sovereignty.
4. What are the ethical and legal challenges posed by the sale of scholarly content to Big Tech companies for artificial intelligence training? How can authors and institutions address these challenges?

Answer Hints:

1. Critically analyse the impact of commercial publishers on the accessibility of publicly funded scientific research in India.

1. Commercial publishers own most journals publishing publicly funded research, controlling access through paywalls.
2. Authors and peer reviewers contribute free labor, yet publishers charge high subscription fees, leading to double public payment.
3. High Article Processing Charges (APCs) for open access publishing exclude many researchers, especially from the Global South and less wealthy institutions.
4. Subscription paywalls and APCs limit equitable access to research outputs, hindering knowledge dissemination.
5. Publishers’ copyright transfer practices restrict authors’ rights to share and reuse their own work freely.
6. Recent deals with Big Tech for AI training monetize research further without author consent or compensation, exacerbating control issues.

2. Comment on the role of Creative Commons licences in promoting open access to knowledge and their limitations with suitable examples.

1. Creative Commons licences enable authors to specify reuse rights, promoting open access and wider dissemination.
2. CC-BY licence allows free sharing, adaptation, and commercial use with attribution, maximizing knowledge reuse.
3. CC BY-NC restricts commercial use but allows sharing and adaptation, limiting some potential applications.
4. CC BY-NC-ND is most restrictive, forbidding commercial use and modifications, limiting translation, remixing, and text mining.
5. Publishers often prefer restrictive licences (e.g., CC BY-NC-ND), hindering educational innovation and technological development.
6. Authors choosing permissive licences like CC-BY enhance accessibility and prevent unauthorized commercial exploitation.

3. Explain the significance of the ‘One Nation One Subscription’ initiative and discuss its implications for India’s research ecosystem and intellectual sovereignty.

1. ONOS provides nationwide access to journals from 30 major international publishers for publicly funded institutions starting 2025.
2. It democratizes access beyond elite institutions, addressing inequities in research availability.
3. The initiative is costly and raises concerns about continuing dependence on foreign publishers for access to Indian-funded research.
4. ONOS marks tension between access and ownership; public money funds research but knowledge ownership remains with commercial entities.
5. It prompts questions about India’s intellectual sovereignty and the need for self-reliant (Atmanirbhar) knowledge infrastructure.
6. Despite access gains, ONOS does not resolve foundational issues like copyright control and equitable knowledge sharing.

4. What are the ethical and legal challenges posed by the sale of scholarly content to Big Tech companies for artificial intelligence training? How can authors and institutions address these challenges?

1. Publishers sell copyrighted scholarly content to Big Tech for AI training, often without authors’ explicit consent or compensation.
2. This results in double monetization – first through subscriptions/APCs, then via AI licensing deals.
3. Authors lose control over their intellectual property and how their work is used commercially.
4. Legal frameworks and copyright agreements often do not protect authors from such secondary commercial exploitation.
5. Authors can self-archive preprints, negotiate rights retention via contract addenda (e.g., SPARC Author Addendum), and choose open licences like CC-BY.
6. Institutions can implement rights-retention policies and support open access mandates to safeguard authors’ rights and promote equitable knowledge use.