Delivering open access: from promise to practice

An anniversary issue of Ariadne commissioned articles to predict the landscape ten years ahead. This contribution concludes that Open Access is a battleground where a ragamuffin band of academics and librarians are challenging the imperial pomp of billion dollar global companies. In those terms the contest is both unequal and unwinnable, since too much inertia is built into the system. However, as the article tries to show there are powerful drivers and change agents in place - technology; the nature of research; Google; national interest - which coupled with the sheer bloody-mindedness and persistence of the proponents of open access will lead to its growth as the dominant form of scholarly discourse. Whether that scholarly discourse will still include the journal article as we know it is a much more difficult question

An awfully big adventure : Strathclyde's digital library plan

Describes how the University of Strathclyde is choosing to give priority to e-content and services instead of a new building

Proposals to introduce a Tribunal for Assisted Suicide in the UK

It is time that Parliament took the brave and audacious move to publically debate legalising assisted suicide in the UK. Even though a Private Members Bill has recently been introduced in Parliament, it has little hope of success without Government backing. The continual underlying objection of the fear of the slippery slope and the effect of legalising assisted suicide would have on the elderly and the vulnerable is a justifiable one; however, the patient’s autonomy must be respected and it will be argued it is possible to legislate in favour of assisted suicide whilst protecting the vulnerable. It will be argued that the introduction of a Tribunal style system to speedily and sympathetically consider each and every patient’s plea to end their lives should be introduced. This would enable a panel, comprising representatives from both the judiciary and the medical profession an opportunity to assess each case on its merits. It would seek to confirm whether the patient has a terminal condition from which they will die within 9-12 months and each patient will be given a cooling off period to explore options of palliative care. Each case will be recorded and each death reported. The Panel will ensure that the patient is not being unduly pressurised and the person who will assist has nothing to gain. Each case will be closely monitored and each patient treated as an individual. Society should temper paternalism with respect for a patient’s autonomy in order to end the imbalance between the right of a patient to refuse medical treatment where they will surely die as a result and the lack of respect for the self determination of a patient who is clear they wish to end their lifeNon peer reviewe

Magical urbanism:Walter Benjamin and utopian realism in the film Ratcatcher

Deploys Walter Benjamin to discuss fantastical representations of childhood and class in the film Ratcatcher

Do people with intellectual disabilities understand their prescription medication? A scoping review

© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Background: People with intellectual disabilities are more likely to experience poor health than the general population and are frequently prescribed multiple medications. Therefore, it is important that people with intellectual disabilities understand their medication and potential adverse effects. Method: A scoping review explored people with intellectual disabilities' knowledge of prescription medications, their risks and how medication understanding can be improved. Results: Ten journal articles were included. People with intellectual disabilities often lacked understanding of their medication, including its name, purpose and when and how to take it. Participants were often confused or unaware of adverse effects associated with their medication. Information was sometimes explained to carers rather than people with intellectual disabilities. Some interventions and accessible information helped to improve knowledge in people with intellectual disabilities. Conclusion: There is a need for accessible and tailored information about medication to be discussed with people with intellectual disabilities in order to meet legal and best practice standards.Peer reviewe

Book Review: Understanding commercial Law

This article reviews the book: “Understanding commercial Law”, by Philippa Gerbic and Leigh Miller

The Choice-Based Perspective of Choice-of-Law

This article offers an innovative basis for the choice-of-law question: the Choice-Based Perspective (CBP). The main argument is that there exists an alternative rights-based understanding of choice-of-law to that which is presently known as the vested rights theory. This understanding is based on the legal philosophy of perhaps the greatest expositor of the rightsbased concept, Immanuel Kant. In contrast to alternative approaches, CPB insists on a purely private conception of the subject, grounded on an organizing principle of unity of persons\u27 choices. Furthermore, the proposed approach holds much sway in practice, for the normative underpinnings of CBP are already embedded in many traditional and contemporary choice-of-law rules, doctrines, and concepts

'Notice and staydown' and social media: amending Article 13 of the Proposed Directive on Copyright

© 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.This paper critically assesses the compatibility of content recognition and filtering technology or so-called notice and staydown approach with the right of social network platforms and users to a fair trial, privacy and freedom of expression under Articles 6, 8 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (1950) (ECHR). The analysis draws on Article 13 of the European Commission’s proposal for a Directive on Copyright, the case-law of the Strasbourg and Luxembourg Court and academic literature. It argues that the adoption of content recognition and filtering technology could pose a threat to social network platforms and user human rights. It considers the compliance of ‘notice and staydown’ with the European Court of Human Rights’ (ECtHR) three-part, non-cumulative test, to determine whether a ‘notice and staydown’ approach is, firstly, ‘in accordance with the law’, secondly, pursues one or more legitimate aims included in Article 8(2) and 10(2) ECHR and thirdly, is ‘necessary’ and ‘proportionate’. It concludes that ‘notice and staydown’ could infringe part one and part three of the ECtHR test as well as the ECtHR principle of equality of arms, thereby violating the rights of social network platforms and users under Articles 6, 8 and 10 of the Convention.Peer reviewe

Challenges to legal education: The Waikato Law School experience

The experiences of the Waikato Law School especially from the viewpoint of challenges to legal education are discussed. The impact of the performance-based model of funding on the delivery of legal education at the Waikato Law School is highlighted