Author Archives: Gavin Baker

A few thoughts on the Google Books Settlement

So much ink has already been spilled on the topic of the Google Books Settlement that I won’t dwell on it too much. I do, though, want to point out a few issues that haven’t been getting much play in … Continue reading

Posted in Copyright, Publishing | Leave a comment

The case for plagiarism

There’s been a recent tiffle about alleged plagiarism in the dissertation of a student who is now a university president. In this case, the entire research design is borrowed from an earlier study, which the author acknowledges and cites: [T]his … Continue reading

Posted in Academia, Science | Leave a comment

Age and eligibility for office: a curious intersection of civil rights and democracy

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years … No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years … No person [...] … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Youth | 2 Comments

Australia gets it right: going beyond just lawyers

From Australia’s Review of the National Innovation System, released last fall: [I]ntellectual property policy is being managed as a legal issue, whereas although this area like any other must operate through the legal system, intellectual property policy is most fundamentally … Continue reading

Posted in Copyright, Patents, Politics | Leave a comment

You’re doing it wrong: pet peeves in Web authoring

I usually try to be fairly gentle in my blog posts. Well, this one’s a full-out rant. And it does name names, but only for purposes of demonstration, not public shaming. By dint of what I do, I spend a … Continue reading

Posted in Email, Web | 6 Comments

Science Next book release in DC

Science Next, an anthology of essays from Science Progress, was released this month by Bellevue Literary Press. The anthology includes my essay on the NIH Public Access Policy, “Public Science”. The Center for American Progress will be hosting a release … Continue reading

Posted in DC, Open access, Personal, Science | Leave a comment

Unchaining the library

Browsing Wikipedia today, I found a page with an intriguing title: chained library: A chained library is a library where the books are attached to their bookcase by a chain, which is sufficiently long to allow the books to be … Continue reading

Posted in Libraries, Open access | Leave a comment

Another Tax Day without access to taxpayer-funded research

Today is Tax Day in America, and I’m headed to the post office to pay my dues to Uncle Sam (at the last minute, of course). What do I get for my money? Well, I get free access online to … Continue reading

Posted in Open access | Leave a comment