Open Access & Licensing Policy

Open Access & Licensing Policy

Last Updated: 5 March 2026

This Open Access and Licensing Policy describes the publication model and licensing framework applied to works published by Inkbound Publishers (“Inkbound”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), accessible at https://inkbound.org (the “Website”).

Inkbound Publishers was previously known as The Law Brigade (Book) Publisher, and the current publishing platform continues the academic publishing activities formerly carried out under that name. References to “Inkbound”, “we”, “us”, or “our” in this policy refer to the publisher operating the Website and its associated publishing services.

Inkbound is committed to promoting the global dissemination of scholarly knowledge through an open access publishing model, ensuring that academic research is freely accessible to readers worldwide.

This policy applies to all publications issued by Inkbound, including monographs, edited volumes, and conference proceedings.

1. Open Access Publishing Model

Inkbound publishes scholarly books and conference proceedings under a full open access model.

Under this model:

  • all published content is freely accessible online without subscription barriers;

  • readers may access, read, download, and share publications without charge;

  • the dissemination of scholarly knowledge is encouraged on a global scale.

Open access publishing enables researchers, educators, policymakers, and the broader public to benefit from unrestricted access to academic work.

To support editorial management, peer review, production, hosting, and long-term accessibility, Inkbound may charge Book Processing Charges (BPCs) or publication fees associated with certain publications.

2. Copyright Ownership

Authors publishing with Inkbound retain full copyright ownership of their work.

Authors are recognized as the original copyright holders of their scholarly content and retain the right to use their work for academic, educational, and non-commercial purposes.

However, in order to publish and disseminate the work, authors grant Inkbound certain rights as described below.

3. License to Publish Granted to Inkbound

By submitting and publishing their work with Inkbound, authors grant the publisher a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to:

  • publish and distribute the work in digital and print formats;

  • host and archive the work on the Website and associated repositories;

  • disseminate the work through indexing services, academic platforms, and digital libraries;

  • promote and publicize the work as part of the publisher’s scholarly catalog.

This license allows Inkbound to ensure the long-term availability and discoverability of the publication while preserving the author’s copyright ownership.

Because the license is non-exclusive, authors remain free to use and distribute their work in accordance with the applicable license terms.

4. Creative Commons License

All publications issued by Inkbound are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

This license allows readers and other users to:

  • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format;

  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material.

These permissions are granted provided that the following conditions are met.

5. Attribution Requirement

Users who reuse or redistribute Inkbound publications must provide appropriate attribution to the original author(s) and the publisher.

Attribution must include:

  • the name(s) of the author(s);

  • the title of the work;

  • acknowledgement of Inkbound as the publisher;

  • a reference or link to the applicable Creative Commons license;

  • an indication of whether modifications have been made.

Proper attribution ensures that the original creators receive appropriate credit for their scholarly contributions.

6. Non-Commercial Use Restriction

The CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license restricts the use of published works to non-commercial purposes.

Users may not use the material for commercial advantage or monetary compensation without obtaining prior permission from the copyright holder.

Examples of commercial use may include:

  • selling the content or derivative works;

  • incorporating the content into commercial products or services;

  • redistributing the material within commercial publishing platforms.

Requests for commercial reuse must be directed to the copyright holder or the publisher as appropriate.

7. ShareAlike Requirement

If users modify, adapt, or build upon an Inkbound publication, the resulting work must be distributed under the same Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

This “ShareAlike” requirement ensures that derivative works remain openly accessible and subject to the same licensing conditions as the original publication.

8. Third-Party Material

Some publications may include images, figures, datasets, or other materials for which copyright is held by third parties.

Where third-party material is included, such content may be subject to separate licensing conditions.

Users wishing to reuse third-party materials must obtain permission from the relevant copyright holder unless the material is clearly identified as being covered by the Creative Commons license.

9. Author Rights and Reuse

Because authors retain copyright ownership, they may reuse their work in a variety of ways consistent with the applicable license.

Authors may:

  • share their work on personal or institutional websites;

  • deposit the publication in institutional or subject repositories;

  • use the work for teaching or educational purposes;

  • include the work in future academic compilations or derivative works.

Authors must ensure that any reuse complies with the Creative Commons licensing terms applied to the publication.

10. Archiving and Global Distribution

Inkbound may archive and distribute published works through:

  • institutional repositories;

  • digital libraries;

  • indexing platforms;

  • academic discovery services.

This ensures long-term accessibility and global discoverability of the published content.

11. Policy Updates

Inkbound reserves the right to revise or update this Open Access & Licensing Policy from time to time.

Updated versions will be published on the Website with a revised “Last Updated” date. Continued use of Inkbound publications following such updates constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact

Questions regarding licensing, copyright, or reuse permissions may be directed to:

Email: editor@inkbound.org