international belgium publishing
How can the Belgium law allowing Belgium-funded research to be made open access be retroactive?
<p>Belgium recently passed a law allowing researchers to make any of their article open access if the majority of the research funding came from Belgian public funding. The law is retroactive. </p>

<p>How can the retroactivity be legally enforceable in the common cases where the researchers signed publishing 
 contracts with non-Belgium publishing companies?</p>

<p>Here is the <a href="http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi/article.pl?urlimage=%2Fmopdf%2F2018%2F09%2F05_1.pdf%23Page81&amp;caller=summary&amp;language=fr&amp;pub_date=2018-09-05&amp;numac=2018031589" rel="nofollow noreferrer">law</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Art. 29. Dans l’article XI.196 du même Code, inséré par la loi du
  19 avril 2014, il est inséré un paragraphe 2/1 rédigé comme suit:</p>
  
  <p>“§ 2/1. L’auteur d’un article scientifique issu d’une recherche
  financée pour au moins la moitié par des fonds publics conserve, même
  si, conformément à l’article XI.167, il a cédé ses droits à un éditeur d’un
  périodique ou les a placés sous une licence simple ou exclusive, le droit
  de mettre le manuscrit gratuitement à la disposition du public en libre
  accès après un délai de douze mois pour les sciences humaines et
  sociales et six mois pour les autres sciences, après la première
  publication, dans un périodique, moyennant mention de la source de la
  première publication.</p>
  
  <p>Le contrat d’édition peut prévoir un délai plus court que celui fixé à
  l’alinéa 1er.</p>
  
  <p>Le Roi peut prolonger le délai fixé à l’alinéa 1er.</p>
  
  <p>Il ne peut être renoncé au droit prévu à l’alinéa 1er. Ce droit est
  impératif et est d’application nonobstant le droit choisi par les parties
  dès lors qu’un point de rattachement est localisé en Belgique. <strong>Il
  s’applique également aux œuvres créées avant l’entrée en vigueur de ce
  paragraphe et non tombées dans le domaine public à ce moment.</strong>”.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="https://translate.google.com/#auto/en/%3E%20%E2%80%9C%C2%A7%202%2F1.%20L%E2%80%99auteur%20d%E2%80%99un%20article%20scientifique%20issu%20d%E2%80%99une%20recherche%0Afinanc%C3%A9e%20pour%20au%20moins%20la%20moiti%C3%A9%20par%20des%20fonds%20publics%20conserve%2C%20m%C3%AAme%0Asi%2C%20conform%C3%A9ment%20%C3%A0%20l%E2%80%99article%20XI.167%2C%20il%20a%20c%C3%A9d%C3%A9%20ses%20droits%20%C3%A0%20un%20%C3%A9diteur%20d%E2%80%99un%0Ap%C3%A9riodique%20ou%20les%20a%20plac%C3%A9s%20sous%20une%20licence%20simple%20ou%20exclusive%2C%20le%20droit%0Ade%20**mettre%20le%20manuscrit%20gratuitement%20%C3%A0%20la%20disposition%20du%20public%20en%20libre%0Aacc%C3%A8s%20apr%C3%A8s%20un%20d%C3%A9lai%20de%20douze%20mois%20pour%20les%20sciences%20humaines%20et%0Asociales%20et%20six%20mois%20pour%20les%20autres%20sciences**%2C%20apr%C3%A8s%20la%20premi%C3%A8re%0Apublication%2C%20dans%20un%20p%C3%A9riodique%2C%20moyennant%20mention%20de%20la%20source%20de%20la%0Apremi%C3%A8re%20publication.%0A%0A%3E%20Le%20contrat%20d%E2%80%99%C3%A9dition%20peut%20pr%C3%A9voir%20un%20d%C3%A9lai%20plus%20court%20que%20celui%20fix%C3%A9%20%C3%A0%0Al%E2%80%99alin%C3%A9a%201er.%0A%0A%0A%3E%20Le%20Roi%20peut%20prolonger%20le%20d%C3%A9lai%20fix%C3%A9%20%C3%A0%20l%E2%80%99alin%C3%A9a%201er.%0A%0A%3E%20Il%20ne%20peut%20%C3%AAtre%20renonc%C3%A9%20au%20droit%20pr%C3%A9vu%20%C3%A0%20l%E2%80%99alin%C3%A9a%201er.%20Ce%20droit%20est%0Aimp%C3%A9ratif%20et%20est%20d%E2%80%99application%20nonobstant%20le%20droit%20choisi%20par%20les%20parties%0Ad%C3%A8s%20lors%20qu%E2%80%99un%20point%20de%20rattachement%20est%20localis%C3%A9%20en%20Belgique.%20Il%0As%E2%80%99applique%20%C3%A9galement%20aux%20%C5%93uvres%20cr%C3%A9%C3%A9es%20avant%20l%E2%80%99entr%C3%A9e%20en%20vigueur%20de%20ce%0Aparagraphe%20et%20non%20tomb%C3%A9es%20dans%20le%20domaine%20public%20%C3%A0%20ce%20moment.%E2%80%9D." rel="nofollow noreferrer">Google translate</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"§ 2/1. The author of a scientific article from a research
  financed for at least half by public funds, even
  if, in accordance with Article XI.167, he has assigned his rights to a publisher of a
  periodical or has placed them under a single or exclusive license, retains the right
  to make the manuscript freely available to the public for free
  access after twelve months for the humanities and social sciences
  and six months for other sciences, after the first
  publication in a periodical, subject to mentioning the source of the
  first publication.</p>
  
  <p>The publishing contract may provide for a shorter period than that set
  paragraph 1.</p>
  
  <p>The King may extend the period laid down in paragraph 1.</p>
  
  <p>The right provided for in paragraph 1 can not be waived. This right is
  imperative and applies notwithstanding the law chosen by the parties
  so long as a point of attachment is located in Belgium. <strong>It
  also applies to works created before the entry into force of this
  paragraph and not fallen into the public domain at this time.</strong> "</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Because Belgium is a <a href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sovereign" rel="nofollow noreferrer">sovereign</a> nation and (presumably) is not prohibited constitutionally from making retroactive laws in general and this one in particular.</p>

<p>The foreign publishers have just fallen victim to sovereign risk - the risk that a change of law or government policy will adversely affect your rights under a contract.</p>

<p>Governments are wary of changing laws retroactively because it undermines certainty (such as it is) in the law, however, they usually are not prohibited from doing so.</p>

<p>It's not a retroactive law.  It doesn't change the legality of any action in the past.  It is a law that affects items that were in previously signed contracts, but that's not new.  </p>

<p>For example, changes in employment law can change or invalidate some provisions in work agreements and contracts.  In the US, agreements that an employee's total creative output belongs to the company are common, but a state could pass a law that invalidates that agreement.</p>

<p>Whether this is a good idea is better asked on <a href="https://politics.stackexchange.com/">the politics site</a></p>
