An email on SERIALST today mentioned that with the recently announced open access to archival content, Nature is asking institutions to sign a new version of the license agreement for 2007. The email said their sales rep said the new license is to "to guarantee that you have access if you need to cancel." However, the librarian noticed another new item in the license agreement. Apparently there is a confidentiality clause in the agreement for pricing and license terms, meaning if you instituion agrees, then public discussion (email lists, blogs, chatting, etc.) of Nature's pricing is gone.

My little hospital library does not have Nature, so I can not confirm this part of the license agreement. If this is true, then what does that mean for the future of electronic resources and libraries? Just curious.


----Update----
The librarian who asked about the confidentiality clause announced that his Nature sales rep told him the negotiated version of his license will no longer include language about pricing confidentiality -- and that, furthermore, Nature will be posting its prices publicly as of September 1 of this year.