The Chronical of Higher Education and MLA Focus both have articles regarding the ACS PubChem controversy.

American Chemical Society Lobbies Against a Free NIH Database That It Sees as a Competitor
Chronicle of higher Education
By ERIC WILLS
16 June 2005

Brief Excerpt:

A bitter squabble over alleged duplication has intensified in recent weeks, as Congress considers whether to cut money appropriated for PubChem. The possibility of such a cut alarms many scientists, who see PubChem as a valuable new resource.

The chemical society argues that PubChem contains at least eight or nine data fields that mimic those in its own database, including a number that the society assigns to each molecule as a unique identifier. "Our major concern has been that PubChem, from its initial launch, appeared to be moving in the direction of complete and total duplication of the CAS Registry," said Madeleine Jacobs, the society's executive director.


MLA Addresses PubChem Issue
MLA-FOCUS
(not free)

Breif Excerpt:

MLA expressed support for PubChem in its May 26 letter to Representative Ralph Regula (R-OH), chair of the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

MLA supports NIH's belief that PubChem and the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) databases are complementary and not duplicative and that CAS-a valuable resource for chemists-could be a valuable resource for biomedical researchers who currently do not focus on the information organized in CAS.


In a previous blog (June 13, 2005) I referenced an article that mentions the House does not ask the agency (NIH) to restrict the scope of the database (PubChem), but instead "urges NIH to work withprivate sector providers to avoid unnecessary duplication and competitionwith private sector chemical databases." According the article supporters of PubChem see the language in the House as a victory for NIH.
Even though it appears to be a victory, we all know how government officials can change their mind and I would be cautious and still continue to support PubChem.