[FC-discuss] Free Thesis Project Released Today

[rob at robmyers.org]

Quoting Crosbie Fitch <crosbie at cyberspaceengineers.org>:

> Any scholar who has a web site and deliberately provides only abstracts to
> their papers rather than the full text (only available to
> 'members/subscribers'), is demonstrating a lack of philanthropy and
> intellect that can be presumed similarly lacking in their paper.

Well they may be restricted by publication requirements or college  
policy. But if not then this is indefensible. Apart from anything else  
they also fail to recognise that they are downstream of other scholars.

Academic freedom is an identifiable and defensible principle.  
Alternative licensing schemes can restore lost rights over academic  
material that they cover, and a body of such work helps to make the  
case for more general reform. BY is a weak way of doing this, but does  
possibly reflect academia's relationship to society at large. BSD is  
an academic license after all.

People do need to be careful to check that their university doesn't  
claim copyright on their work before releasing it CC though.

- Rob.