On 27 June 2013, with the support of the CDU/CSU and FDP majority, the German Bundestag passed a bill introducing two copyright law reforms: first, provisions facilitating certain uses of orphan- and out-of-print works, and second a controversial provision ensuring secondary publication rights for authors of contributions to scholarly journals that appear at least bi-annually, provided the underlying research was predominantly funded by public means and conducted within the framework of public project funding or at an institutionally funded non-university research organisation. Holders of such secondary rights would be entitled to make their work openly accessible after a 12-month post-publication embargo period. The secondary-rights provision has been criticised as too restricted by the opposition parties, the Bundesrat, and science organisations.
To read the draft bill (available in German only), click here.
Further information/commentary:
wisspub.net by Heinz Pampel