<<Can someone please explain this NIH override, what it applies to, and when it takes effect?>>
I don't want to speculate about a policy that has not been adopted yet. But here's a little copyright clarification. Copyright starts in the hands of the author. As part of an NIH grant agreement, the author grants to NIH a non-exclusive license to publish, reproduce or otherwise use any copyrighted works, including research articles, that are produced with the funding. When an author signs a copyright transfer agreement with the publisher, the publisher takes the copyright subject to NIH's license. The NIH policy debate is over how NIH should use *its* license to publish, reproduce or otherwise use the articles produced with its funding. Best, MC Michael W. Carroll Associate Professor of Law Villanova University School of Law 299 N. Spring Mill Road Villanova, PA 19085 610-519-7088 (voice) 610-519-5672 (fax) Research papers at http://ssrn.com/author=330326 See also www.creativecommons.org