Thousands of researchers
lost online
access to the
journals on 1 January amid a dispute between the publishing giant and a consortium of German universities, technical schools, research institutes, and libraries.
If, e.g., someone in a letter
to the editor of the
journal criticized my review
to be inaccurate (or perhaps even defamatory), having
lost access to the review copy might render it difficult, if not impossible, for me
to answer
to such criticism of my own work (or
to wage a veracity defense against libel charges against me).