Abstract: This talk will consider two current key areas relevant to scholarly publishing from the point of view of developments in the United Kingdom. Copyright law has for many years been steadily shifting to favour the rights of owners against those of users. Recent developments in UK copyright law will be described, together with an explanation of the tensions that have brought about the changes and an explanation of how the changes fit into rights owners’ broader strategies. The implications for scholars and for librarians’ daily work will be considered.

In contrast to the somewhat depressing picture painted by developments in copyright law, the picture regarding Open Access and Institutional repositories favours scholars and librarians more. A brief background to Open Access and Institutional Repositories will be followed by an account of recent initiatives in the UK, the current research being undertaken by the presenter, and some predictions regarding the future of Repositories in the UK.