Elsevier’s dispute with Uni California is a make or break for the journal giant

Academics at the university network cannot access Elsevier journals since contract renewal talks failed over price and open access.

UCal  now says that Elsevier is emailing academics making its case and on Friday published a long rebuttal of what the network negotiators says are the publisher’s claims.

Losing U Cal as a consumer is as big a risk for the publisher as the European Plan S (open access plus pay to publish, but with a price capped by European research agencies). If the University of California demonstrates it can live without journals on Elsevier’s terms university systems across the US will follow.