[EP-underground] Crystallography Journals and Open Access costs

Hello,

In the IUCr Newsletter 11, Number 4, 2003 (just received
yesterday), is given the charge to the authors willing to make
their article open access on Crystallography Journals online :
USD800. "This charge is based on the average cost for the
IUCr to produce the first copy of the article, excluding printing
and distribution costs."

For more information, visit :
http://journals.iucr.org/services/openaccess.html

Is this not a bit more than most previous estimations ?

Armel Le Bail
Universite du Maine
France

PS - Open access related : The COD (http://www.crystallography.net/)
is still waiting for IUCr permission to include the CIFs available for
free at the Crystallography Journals Web site. The first IUCr position
was to reject the demand (August 2003). The second position
(December 2003) was : "If the disparity in distribution of the existing
databases to which the IUCr freely provides its data cannot be
resolved, the IUCr might need to reconsider its responsibility to
emerging nations and its policy vis a vis the COD."