Dear [Representative/Senator ___________________];

On behalf of [your organization], I strongly urge you to OPPOSE H.R. 6845, the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act, introduced to the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on the Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, on September 11, 2008. This bill would reverse the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy, prohibit American taxpayers from accessing any and all research funded by taxpayer dollars, and stifle critical advancements in lifesaving research and scientific discovery.

Because of the NIH Public Access Policy, millions of Americans now have access to vital health care information from the NIH’s PubMed Central database. Under the current policy, nearly 4,000 new crucial biomedical articles were deposited in the last month alone. H.R. 6845 would prohibit the deposit of these articles so that, as a result, researchers, physicians, healthcare professionals, families, and individuals will be seriously impeded in their ability to access NIH-funded, critical health-related information.

[You may wish to include here a personal note of why you support taxpayer access and the NIH policy]. The NIH policy must be allowed to continue to ensure public access to the results of research funded by the agency with taxpayer dollars. Please OPPOSE H.R. 6845.

Sincerely

[your name]
[your contact information]

CONTACT INFORMATION

Senate Committee on the Judiciary

House Committee on the Judiciary