Scientific publisher Nature Publishing Group (NPG), UK, and the University of California have agreed to work together in the coming months to address mutual short- and long-term challenges, including an exploration of potential new approaches and evolving publishing models.
Earlier this year a row between NPG and the University of California (UC) erupted when the latter threatened the former with a total boycott. In protest at what they said was an attempt to hike subscription fees, the University of California then said that it would ask faculty to cease submitting papers to NPG journals, as well as cease peer review or other editorial functions.
Representatives from the University of California and Nature Publishing Group met on August 17, 2010 to discuss the organisations' current licensing challenges and the larger issues of scholarly communication sustainability. The discussion was positive, with a full exchange of views and mutual recognition of the value that each party contributes to the scholarly communication enterprise. The two organisations look forward to a successful planning and experimentation process that will result in a mutual agreement to serve all stakeholder groups - NPG, the UC libraries, and the scholar community, thus avoiding the need for the boycott that had been discussed at an earlier stage.
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