ABSTRACT
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) is the world’s largest professional society and also a major world publisher. IEEE goes to considerable trouble and expense to hold copyright to its technical material both to protect and to be able to provide access to that material. Liberal reprint and republication policies, participation in the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) and other efforts help ensure legitimate access. IEEE’s commitment to the free flow of information does not, however, support the view that information must therefore be literally free. Unauthorized, unpaid for photocopying is a major concern. An environment which recognizes that copy machines are not free and that copy shops expect to be paid, but which gives short shrift to the intellectual property being copied, damages all in the information chain and should be of as much concern to libraries as it is to publishers like IEEE.
