1. Ethical, Legal, and Policy Issues in the Knowledge Creation Paradigm: The Case of OMICS International, Open Access, and ‘Predatory’ Publishing

Abstract

In Chapter 1, ‘Ethical, Legal, and Policy Issues in the Knowledge Creation Paradigm: The Case of OMICS International, Open Access, and ‘Predatory’ Publishing,’ Lyombe Eko explores the ethical, policy, and legal issues brought to the forefront by the so-called predatory publishing and predatory conferences industry, using as a case study the legal actions taken by the United States government agency, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against OMICS Group, Inc., and its affiliates in federal court. After providing an overview and legal analysis of the FTC v. OMICS Group case, the author invites readers to consider how this litigation might forever transform the realities of ethical, legal, and economic dimensions of scholarly publishing. Viewing predatory publishing from an economic perspective, in particular, raises important questions about who profits from predatory publishing and predatory conferences. This presents an opportunity to consider the different motivations at play in this complex game of ‘pay to play’ or ‘pay to publish trash,’ as the Indian government calls it.