You might ask your client to consider whether or not the contract the author signed was under duress when the contract was signed. It is well known that publishing in &quot;impactful&quot; journals is a pre-requisite for academic advancement and success, failing to sign that contract would do grave economic and reputational harm to the author. The journal, taking advantage of the pressure being applied by the author&#x27;s employer, exploits that advantage to achieve an unearned and involuntarily given economic benefit at the cost of the author.