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On Rights Retention


What is it ?


The strategy of retaining rights is an approach that enables authors to retain rights over their scientific work, even after it has been published in a journal. This strategy helps to ensure the rapid dissemination of knowledge, in particular by making scientific articles available immediately via open access..

It is important to note that this strategy is championed by the members of the S Coalition (funding and research bodies) https://www.coalition-s.org/), who have committed to open access.
 
Why take this step?

When a researcher publishes in a scientific journal, they must sign a contract with the publisher, under which they often transfer their copyright. In such cases, the researcher can no longer freely share their work.

However, by retaining their rights, researchers can deposit their publications in open access on an open-access repository, regardless of the distribution model of the journal in which they are published. This strategy of retaining rights enables publications to be shared, cited and reused immediately for legitimate purposes. Furthermore, open-access repository platforms such as HAL ensure the long-term preservation of scientific work.
This approach is also in line with the open science policy of funding agencies. In other words, adopting a strategy of retaining rights, as well as depositing the accepted author manuscript (AAM) in an open access repository, ensures that researchers comply with this policy.

How do I go about it?

There are 4 steps :

  • Upon submission of their publication, researchers must include the CC-BY 4.0 attribution (or a more recent version, if available) in their manuscript and provide a link to the URL describing the CC-BY 4.0 licence on the website Creative Commons.org : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
  • He must inform the publisher and include, on the title page or acknowledgements page, a statement specifying that a CC-BY licence applies to the document and will continue to do so until the manuscript is accepted. The licence and the text must be included in all versions.
  • At the time the contract is signed, the researcher must agree with the publisher that only the published version is subject to an exclusive licence. This provision must be included in the contract. Note: Applying the CC-BY licence at the time of submission takes precedence over any conditions that the publisher might subsequently impose.
  • Deposit in an open archive. As soon as the article is published, the researcher may deposit the author-accepted manuscript (AAM) in an open access repository (e.g. HAL) and must ensure that the CC-BY licence is specified at the time of deposit. It should be noted that researchers may deposit their manuscript in its pre-publication version at the time of submission. If the manuscript undergoes changes during the peer-review process, care must be taken to update the version deposited in the open access repository, so that the AAM is available at the time of publication..


 
Sources


Announcement of the implementation of the strategy to retain rights rather than assign them to the publisher.


Submission cover letter.

In the case of funding from a funding agency that is a member of the cOAlition S (ANR, Horizon Europe) : 
  • In english : "This research was funded, in whole or in part, by [Organisation name, Grant #]. A CC-BY public copyright license has been applied by the authors of the present document and will be applied to all subsequent versions up to the Author Accepted Manuscript arising from this submission, in accordance with the grant's open access conditions."
  • In French : "Cette recherche a été financée, en tout ou partie, par l'Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR) au titre du projet AN-nn-XXXX-nnnn. A des fins de libre accès, une licence CC-BY a été appliquée par les auteurs au présent document et le sera à toute version ultérieure jusqu'au manuscrit auteur accepté pour publication résultant de cette soumission."
In the event of a lack of funding :
  • In english : "For the purpose of Open Access, a CC-BY public copyright licence has been applied by the authors to the present document and will be applied to all subsequent versions up to the Author Accepted Manuscript arising from this submission."
  • In French : "A des fins de diffusion en accès ouvert, une licence CC-BY a été appliquée par les auteurs au présent document et le sera à toute version ultérieure jusqu'au manuscrit auteur accepté pour publication résultant de cette soumission."
 
Exemple de courrier

Objet : Notification de conservation des droits d'auteur et licence de publication - Article [.Titre de l'article.]

Madame, Monsieur,

Je reviens vers vous concernant la publication de mon article/document intitulé « [.Titre de l’article.] », destiné à publication dans [.Nom, BBD de la revue.].

Conformément aux dispositions du Code de la propriété intellectuelle, et notamment aux articles L.111-1 et suivants, je demeure titulaire exclusif des droits patrimoniaux et moraux attachés à cette œuvre.

En application de l’article L.533-4 du Code de la recherche, issu de la loi n° 2016-1321 pour une République numérique, et dans le respect des principes de la science ouverte promus par l’État français et l’Union Européenne, je ne souhaite pas procéder à une cession exclusive de mes droits patrimoniaux concernant cette publication.

Je vous accorde en conséquence une licence non exclusive, mondiale et pour la durée légale de protection des droits d’auteur, strictement cadrée aux usages suivants :

–  Publier, reproduire et diffuser l’article dans la revue [.Nom de la revue, BDD.], sous format imprimé et numérique ;
–  Assurer son référencement, son archivage et sa diffusion via vos plateformes et bases de données partenaires à votre convenance ;
–  Exploiter l’article dans le cadre normal des activités éditoriales et commerciales de la revue.

Cette licence est consentie sans transfert de propriété intellectuelle.

Conformément aux engagements liés à l’initiative du Plan S et aux principes portés par les organismes financeurs de la cOAlition S, toute recherche financée par des fonds publics doit être accessible immédiatement et gratuitement, la version publiée de l’article sera mise à disposition immédiatement en accès ouvert, sans embargo.

Je souhaite que ma publication soit diffusée sous licence Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), autorisant toute reproduction, diffusion, adaptation et réutilisation, y compris à des fins commerciales, sous réserve de mention de l’auteur et de la source.

En conséquence :

–  Aucun embargo ne saurait opposer à la mise à disposition en accès ouvert ;
–  Je conserve le droit de déposer immédiatement la version publiée AAM (hors PDF éditeur) dans toute archive ouverte publique, nationale ou internationale, institutionnelle et/ou disciplinaire ;
–  Je conserve le droit de réutiliser librement tout ou partie de l’article dans mes travaux ultérieurs.

Toute clause contractuelle contraire devra faire l’objet d’une négociation spécifique et d’un accord exprès et écrit de ma part.

Je reste naturellement disponible pour tout échange permettant d’assurer une publication conforme aux cadre juridique français et à nos engagements en faveur de la science ouverte.

Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.

[.Nom.]
[.Titre / Fonction.]
[.Université / Laboratoire.]
[.Coordonnées.]

Sample letter

Subject : Notice of Retention of Copyright and Grant of publication Licence - Article [.Title of the Article]

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing regarding the publication of my article/document entitled "[.Title of the Article]", intended for publication in [.Name of the Journal]

In accordance with the provisions of the French Intellectual Property Code, in particular Articles L.111-1 and following, I remain the sole holder of the economic and moral rights attached to this work.

Pursuant to Article L.533-4 of the French Research Code, introduced by Law No. 2016-1321 for a Digital Republic, and in line with the principles of Open Science promoted by the French State and the European Union, I do not intend to assign my economic rights on an exclusive basis.

Accordingly, I grant you a non-exclusive, worldwide license for the full legal term of copyright protection, strictly limited to the following purposes:

– To publish, reproduce, and distribute the article in [Name of the Journal], in both print and digital formats;
– To ensure its indexing, archiving, and dissemination through your platforms and partner databases;
– To exploit the article within the normal scope of the journal’s editorial activities.

This license is granted without any transfer of intellectual property ownership.

In accordance with the commitments associated with the Plan S and the principles promoted by funding organizations within cOAlition S, research funded by public funds must be made immediately and freely accessible. Therefore, the published version of the article will be made available immediately in open access, without embargo.

The article will be distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits reproduction, distribution, adaptation, and reuse—including for commercial purposes—provided that the author and the source are properly acknowledged.

Consequently:

– No embargo may be imposed on its open access dissemination;
– I retain the right to deposit immediately the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) version (excluding the publisher’s PDF) in any public, institutional, or disciplinary open archive;
– I retain the right to freely reuse all or part of the article in my future work.

Any contractual clause to the contrary shall bu subject to specific negociation and to my explicit written consent.

I remain, of course available for any discussion that would help ensure a publication compliant with French requirements and commitments to Open Science.

Yours sincerely,

[.Name]
[.Title / Position]
[.University / Laboratory]
[.Contact details]

Sources

Other sample texts :


The Digital Republic Act.


Where the on Rights Retention Strategy is not applied, the Digital Republic Act provides guidance on the deposit of open-access texts.

The Digital Republic Act (Act No. 2016-1321 of 7 October 2016) aims to bring French law into line with the challenges of the digital age (data, platforms, internet access).
It is structured around three main areas: the circulation of data and knowledge, the protection of individuals in the digital society, and digital access for all.

( https://www.vie-publique.fr/eclairage/20301-loi-republique-numerique-7-octobre-2016-loi-lemaire-quels-changements )

This law applies to “research funded at least half by grants from the French State, local authorities or public institutions, by subsidies from national funding agencies, or by European Union funds”[1]. This means that authors have the right to publish their research outputs and data in open access.
For publications, open access deposit is subject to an embargo of six months for the natural sciences and one year for the humanities. With the publisher’s consent, the researcher may reduce the duration of this embargo.

As for data, certain types are subject to specific protections (personal data, data classified as defence secrets, trade secrets).
 
Sources

[1] LOI n° 2016-1321 du 7 octobre 2016 pour une République numérique Article 30

Text of the Digital Republic Act :


Enforcement Guide for a Digital Republic (Art. 30):