Scientific research is relevant to the needs of society and is based upon the sharing of text and data in publicly-funded research outputs. The use of intellectual property rights could underpin the realisation of this vision but in many situations they are currently a barrier to its achievement.
The KE report ‘IPR Policy and Scientific Research', written by Fred Friend provides recommendations regarding IPR policy, to increase the impact of research and make the outcomes more available.
The report proposes fairer balance between private and public interest in copyright legislation to achieve wider access to and easier re-use of published research reports. The report offers several examples of good practices using licensing.