Open Access & Copyright

Open Access publications are protected by copyright in the same way as printed publications!
Under German law, copyright cannot be transferred. However, the author can grant exploitation rights to a publisher, for example.
Authors should make sure that they do not assign the so-called exclusive right of use in the contract, but only a simple right of use: this is the only way to ensure that the author can continue to determine the exploitation of their publication.Therefore, please read publication agreements very carefully and seek advice if, for example, you do not understand a passage or are not sure which rights you are assigning and which you are retaining!

In the case of an Open Access publication, rights of use can be defined, for example, by the internationally widespread Creative Commons (CC) licenses. The CC BY ("Attribution to the author") and CC BY-SA ("Attribution and Redistribution under equal terms") licenses are the most appropriate for Open Access.

The DEAL-Konsortium recommends the CC BY license, because it stands out as the best choice for maximizing the impact and reach of your work.

More information on legal aspects of publishing
Overview of the different licenses available for scientific research