Authors may then have to ask permission, and perhaps even pay a royalty, to send reprints to their colleagues, distribute copies to their classes, include their own work in a course pack, post their work on their own Web site, or even update an earlier edition of their work. The ownership of the scholar's intellectual effort is one of the key factors in the profit edge currently held by commercial publishers. This is why some publishers have been lobbying for stronger property rights that do not explicitly acknowledge fair use, particularly in the electronic arena. In general, when scholars create scholarly works, they automatically hold copyright to them. Copyright is a bundle of rights.
Scholars can negotiate to retain all or some of their rights.
They can retain copyright while licensing certain non-exclusive rights to publishers. Scholars do not have to surrender copyright when they publish, though in many cases the individual scholar may not have the power to convince a publisher to modify a contract. Nevertheless, most institutions of higher education have not tried to claim ownership for traditional scholarly works such as monographs, journal articles, and textbooks. Many universities are currently reviewing and revising their policies on intellectual property, prompted primarily by their investment in the creation of digital media. Librarians and scholars should participate actively in these discussions, ensuring that all forms of scholarly works are addressed.