Publisher’s agreement
According to WIAS’ Open Access Policy all scientists are encouraged to retain their copyright in order to deposit their work on WIAS’ repository. There are two ways to achieve this:
- Edit the publishers agreement: Publishers often will accept changed agreements: edit wording of contract so that instead of granting exclusive rights to the publisher, you grant non-exclusive rights. Initiate the changes and submit a signed copy to the publisher.
- Alternatively, you can still sign a publisher’s agreement and retain some rights by adding an addendum (OA Addendum) to the agreement. Author Addenda are legal instruments that modify the publisher’s agreement and allow you to keep key rights to your articles. However, addenda need to be signed by the publisher.
Some examples for OA Addenda:
Why should I retain my copyright? offers a quick review of pros and cons.
Prof. Reinhard Diestel’s homepage at University of Hamburg provides a good overview of copyright in mathematics (including modified copyright examples).