There is a huge interest these days in new ways of imparting and transferring knowledge – and the term Open Access, which we often hear in connection with this, has triggered a lot of discussion. The Internet is to become a medium which promotes free access to information in an open and democratic way. Does this undertaking however clash with the protection of intellectual property? Does Open Access violate current copyright laws? What is exactly behind the Heidelberg Appeal? Our dossier called Open Access – free access to knowledge sheds light on the opportunities, the current debates and judicial decisions as well as on any possible risks and investigates what the future holds for Open Access.
