This document discusses open access to publicly funded research. It begins by noting that while the internet enables greater distribution of research, most publicly funded research cannot currently be accessed or reused by the public. It then introduces open access as a way to justify public funding of research by making it openly available. The document goes on to define open access in terms of access, technical formats, and copyright/licensing. It emphasizes that open licensing is important to allow legal reuse and sharing of research beyond just access. Finally, it provides an overview of Creative Commons licenses as a pragmatic solution that allows reuse while retaining author copyright.