Joint ICSU Press/UNESCO Expert Conference on ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING IN SCIENCE UNESCO, Paris, 19-23 February 1996 Tools and Standards for Protection, Control and Presentation of Data: Rights Clearance and Technical Protection in an Electronic Environment

If creators and investors cannot earn a fair return, the inevitable result will be a dearth of quality material and a corresponding deluge of rubbish, because quality material is intrinsically costly to produce. Although the new technology is reducing some of the costs associated with producing good material, it is also bringing in new costs. It is much cheaper to produce quality text now than it was when material had to be set in metal type; however, text is no longer always the best method of conveying information. Multimedia material requires investment, in real terms, at least as great as that which in a previous era was required for typesetting. If society is to enjoy quality material, those who create that material and those who invest nancially in its production must be able to earn a return on their investment