A new report from Project Retain highlights the evolving landscape of institutional rights retention policies across Europe, examining strategic approaches and challenges in ten countries. The findings build on insights from Opening Knowledge: Retaining Rights and Licensing in Europe 2023 and emphasize the growing momentum toward open access publishing.
While institutions in the UK and Norway have been at the forefront of rights retention efforts since 2022, other European countries are now shaping their own policies through legal reforms and institutional strategies. The report, Building Bridges to Open Access: Paths to Institutional Rights Retention in Europe 2024, presents case studies illustrating how various nations are advancing their policies:
• Finland and Italy are focusing on collaboration, education, and training to advance institutional policies despite legal reform challenges.
• France and the Netherlands have introduced Secondary Publishing Rights (SPR), prompting institutions to raise awareness and develop coordinated policy responses.
• Ireland and Slovenia are taking a holistic approach, integrating policy adoption with ongoing legal discussions.
• Bulgaria has enacted legislative changes, though institutional implementation remains a key next step.
• Serbia is considering legal reforms to support long-standing discussions on rights retention.
The report underscores that meaningful progress is achievable even in legally complex environments. Institutions developing rights retention policies are encouraged to:
• Map the landscape to assess legal and institutional conditions.
• Prioritize progress over perfection, recognizing that incremental steps can drive substantial change.
• Build alliances by engaging stakeholders across sectors and institutions.
• Seek expert legal guidance to mitigate risks and refine policy frameworks.
Collaborative efforts such as the N8 Research Partnership in the UK and the Finnish University Libraries Network (FUN) demonstrate the value of coordinated initiatives in advancing open access.
As institutions refine their rights retention policies, flexible strategies and cross-sector collaboration remain key. Whether through legal reform, policy development, or awareness campaigns, these efforts contribute to a more sustainable and equitable open access landscape across Europe.
Click here to read the original press release.
