To market, to market

摘要

Let's face it, LaPorte and Hibbitts are talking marketplaces—not science, not intellectual freedom. Leave aside their blithe assumptions that the Beatles are "dismayed" over Michael Jackson's ownership of most of their songs; that this is an "artistic tragedy." (The Beatles may be creative, but they're not dumb; it's just possible that they decided to take their billions in lump sums, and leave behind the hassles of dealing with copyright lawyers.) No, LaPorte and Hibbitts' real concern is with middlemen—a fantasy of Blue Meenie publishers, bloated with money (their words: "[societies] derive considerable revenue from the publication of biomedi-cal journals") and obsessed with power (their words: "journals have monopolised scientific communication") who control not only the intellectual lives but also the livelihood of scientists.