Launch of CrossRef Web Services
***THIS IS AN IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION THAT WE ASK ALL CROSSREF MEMBER BUSINESS CONTACTS TO READ IN ITS ENTIRETY***
We are very pleased to announce the beta launch of CrossRef Web Services.
CrossRef Web Services (CWS) is a suite of tools to enable authorized search and other web service partners to collect metadata on a cross-publisher basis to streamline web crawling. The program includes a variety of metadata dissemination tools and provides standard terms of use for search engines, libraries, and other partners to use the metadata available from CrossRef Web Services. CrossRef members are not obligated to participate.
This initial beta launch of CWS is for partnerships with authorized search providers only. The CrossRef Board approved the terms and conditions of the CWS Authorized Search Partner Agreement in May of this year. CrossRef expects one or two search partners to sign the agreement in 2006. When a CWS partnership is executed, CrossRef members will be sent the executed agreement for review, along with a case-by-case opt out form, with clear instructions not to return the form unless they wish to opt out of that particular partnership, or to exclude references or specific titles from their available metadata. Publishers will have 30 days to respond but will always have the right to exclude their data at any time for any reason.
Authorized CWS search partners will be charged $2,500-60,000 per year depending upon the gross revenues of the partner and the number of CrossRef members who agree (by not opting out) to have their metadata included in the service. To view the fee table and CWS Authorized Search Partner agreement, you may go to:
http://www.crossref.org/04intermediaries/web_services_fees.html. In addition to the case-by-case opt out, CrossRef members can select not to participate in CrossRef Web Services at all and thereby receive no further communications regarding CWS partnerships in future.
If you expect to participate and wish to be notified of new CWS partnerships as they are negotiated, you do not need to do anything in response to this announcement. ONLY IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO OPT OUT OF *ALL* CWS PARTICIPATION, PLEASE SIGN THE GLOBAL OPT OUT FORM ( which you can request from Amy Brand abrand@crossref.org) AND RETURN VIA FAX TO 781-295-0077 AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE.
Please contact Amy Brand at abrand@crossref.org with any questions, concerns, or comments you may have about the new program or about these procedures.
Thank you,
CrossRef Staff

