Comment 2 by capetownian :

This information comes at a cost - why is it not possible when sharing the information gleaned to have a fee involved? My simple mind says that when I want to seek knowledge there is financial component to it! Somebody paid for the time spent on the R & D....? Whatever Mankind benefits from the efforts of individuals and countries should not be freely available to all and sundry. Or is that rather naive?

I don't know about naive but I think it sets a terrible precedent. Basic research like this is and IMO must stay free and open to all. Once you start making it into a business you start putting up walls that mean only certain people can get access to the data. Your model does fit right in with the mindset that dominates the US right now though: that the "free market" is the best solution to everything. Once we go down this road for one type of research I think it could fundamentally change the way all basic research is done in the US.