I submitted a paper to Springer which was rejected, but the preprint was generated before editorial check.
After rejection, I submitted the same paper to Emerald which was accepted after critical modifications. I later received a message of Copyright Infringement from Emerald because the preprint of the rejected paper appears on Researchsquare.
Should preprint of rejected papers be a copyright infringement?
Adetayo Olaniyi Adeniran ,
It would violate the publishers policy and they do have grounds for rejecting the paper, but I would challenge the interpretation that it is a copyright violation (note that, I am not an IP lawyer).
That Researchsquare automatically published the preprint is a cause for concern. Didn't they give you the option to make it a private copy?
Wish you the best
This is one of the most frequently asked questions here. You should check the instructions for authors of the journal to which you will submit your paper. Some journals allow preprints, others do not. Sometimes there are problems with plagiarism checkers when a preprint exists. Some researchers publish the preprint only when the paper was accepted for publication, provided that the journal allows preprints. Research Square has an option to delete preprints, see their instructions. See also: https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_to_withdraw_an_article_from_ResearchSquare
Preprints of papers can be a contentious issue in terms of copyright infringement. While the practice of sharing preprints has become increasingly common in recent years, some publishers may have policies prohibiting authors from sharing preprints before publication. It's important to carefully review the policies of the publishers involved to ensure that preprints are being shared in accordance with their guidelines.
In the case you described, it's possible that sharing the preprint of your rejected paper on Researchsquare could have violated copyright if it violated the policies of either Springer or Emerald. You may want to review the policies of both publishers to determine whether the preprint was shared appropriately. Additionally, you may want to consult with a legal expert or the support team of Researchsquare to determine whether any legal action is necessary in response to the copyright infringement claim.
It should be mentioned that whether this is copyright infringement depends on the legal system of Mr. Adeniran's country. not the country of the publisher's headquarters, which the author should not worry about.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Papers