Partnering on Copyright

The Copyright Knowledge Bank (CKB) is a database containing comprehensive information on the self-archiving policies of journal publishers. It is an extension of the existing well-known and heavily-used SHERPA/RoMEO database of publishers' self-archiving policies.

At the moment the CKB is still in development. As well as providing more detailed information on open access and self-archiving policies of publishers, the CKB will also have:

• Improved coverage, with information on over 130 English languge publishers and over 90 Dutch publishers; and
• Improved functionality, with a journal look-up service, which has already been developed and is in operation on the SHERPA/RoMEO database. This enables the CKB to be searched by journal title, as well as publisher name. Also a letter-generator application to work in line with the CKB has been developed by Tilburg University in the Netherlands. This would allow CKB users to ask the system to automatically generate a letter to a particular publisher requesting permisiion to place an article in a digital repository.

In addition, an XML verison of the raw data on publishers' copyright and self-archiving policies found in the CKB has been created, which will enable third party services to use this information.

At the moment the CKB is still under development. However, a test version has been created, and the completed version is planned to be made available shortly.