Japanese chemistry institute sues archival site for hosting discontinued journal
Case could set an important precedent if it reaches court
The Japan Institute of Heterocyclic Chemistry has initiated legal proceedings against the digital preservation site CLOCKSS, which made available thousands of papers published by a journal previously run by the institute, Chemistry World has learned.
In April, Chemistry World reported that the Japanese institute abruptly removed all the papers published by Heterocycles since it was launched in 1973 with little warning. An archived version of an editorial notice posted on the Heterocycles website says the journal ‘completed its role in promoting the recognition of heterocyclic chemistry as a discipline’.