Is the NIH Public Access Policy in Danger? House Subcommittee to Hold Hearing

The Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property of the House of Representatives' Committee on the Judiciary will hold a hearing on "Fair Copyright in Research Works Act" on 9/11/2008.

Andrew Albanese has written an article about this upcoming hearing ("NIH Public Access Policy to Face Copyright Challenge in Congress?"), and Peter Suber has made extensive comments about the article and issued a call for action ("Publishers Go to Congress to Undo the NIH Policy").

Here's an excerpt from Suber's post:

Update.  Alert to US Citizens:  If your representative is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, please contact him/her before the end of business on Tuesday, September 9, and express your support for the NIH policy.  There are committee members from AL, AZ, CA, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, MA, MI, MN, NC, NY, OH, TN, TX, UT, WI, and VA.  Some members know nothing about the policy but what the publishing lobby has told them.  Explain why the policy matters to you and make it personal.  Send copies of your message to the committee leadership (John Conyers, Chairman, D-MI, and Lamar Smith, Ranking Member, R-TX).  If your representative is not a member of the committee, then you can send a message to the committee leadership alone.  For the contact info on any member, see Congress Merge.  If you can address copyright issues, do.  This committee has jurisdiction over copyright issues, and copyright is the hook publishers used to get the committee's attention.  It's tiring to mobilize all over again, but it's necessary.  Please write and spread the word.  Keep a copy of your message.  You may need it again.

Here is a list of members of the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, with each name linked to the Representative's contact page: