“You pay to read research you fund. That’s ludicrous”
&gt;Publishers acquire this research free of charge<p>Except of course they don&#x27;t. They provide publishing services, which cost them between 60-80% of the revenue each paper bring in (based on profit margins between 20-40%). Authors sign over their copyright in exchange for this consideration. (If they didn&#x27;t get anything, the copyright assignment wouldn&#x27;t be valid.)<p>&gt; leading journals have stepped forward to make new findings free to all.<p>By charging authors upfront.<p>&gt;Publishers do add value, but that value doesn’t justify the cost or the lost opportunities for those who can’t (or can’t fully) access the research.<p>This doesn&#x27;t make sense. &quot;Groceries do add value, but that doesn&#x27;t justify the cost or lost opportunities for those that can&#x27;t afford food&quot;.<p>The solution to people not being able to access essentials is not outlawing anyone charging for it. It&#x27;s subsidizing the cost for everyone to buy it, or making a government-run version that provides it for free. If you want everyone to be able to eat, you give them food stamps (or make sure they have enough money by raising the minimum wage, whatever), don&#x27;t get upset at companies that provide value but also make a profit. If you can do it for less, go ahead.