Subscription agent SWETS has written to publishers that to protect the business interests of Swets & Zeitlinger Group BV, the company has requested the court in Amsterdam to declare a suspension of payments of Swets & Zeitlinger Group BV and appoint an administrator. This request was honoured by the court and J.L.M. Groenewegen (CMS) was appointed as administrator on Sept ember 19.
Considering Swets' current legal situation, the International Association of STM Publishers and publishers such as Elsevier, Springer, SAGE and Emerald Group Publishing, among others, have advised customers to check the status of any recent orders with Swets and assess the on-going use of Swets as a subscription agent until any legal procedures are closed.
If any payments have been made recently to SWETS for subscription renewals, it has been advised to contact Customer Services representatives of the respective publishing companies to review the status of these renewals.
In a letter sent on September 22, 2014, Elsevier tells customers that until an order for a publication is transmitted from Swets to Elsevier with payment, Elsevier will not be able to fulfill the order.
Springer's announcement begins by telling customers that they "are exposed to a substantial risk if they continue to submit payments to Swets for any Springer content" and that "Springer has terminated its contracts with Swets." It goes on to urge customers to find "alternative agents" for any current or planned business with Springer.
