Equally, the skills of scientists, publishers and librarians in the publishing chain should be enhanced, in terms of writing, editing, publishing, disseminating and marketing and archiving. National, regional and international co-operation and partnership should be fostered through the sharing of resources, knowledge and experience, and the creation of consortia and alliances, to achieve more affordable economic models. An enabling policy environment should be encouraged at the national level, including dialogue with local communities, and participatory initiatives at regional and international levels should be promoted. A global commitment to support and sustain these initiatives needs to be secured. The principles of copyright, together with its traditional balances and exceptions, should be maintained in the electronic environment.
Science advances through access to, and the unfettered use of, factual information.
Scientific, non-commercial use should not be constrained by legal restrictions on the use of data or information derived from databases. For scientific databases there is often only a sole supplier, with the potential to block markets, or not serve them adequately. National and intergovernmental organizations should therefore promote a policy to assure the availability of database information at reasonable cost. ICSU should establish a policy of prompt, full and open access to scientific data and information acquired within ICSU-sponsored programmes. Such a policy would be consistent with the ICSU principle of the universality of science and could parallel the existing ICSU statement on the Free Circulation of Scientists.