The Open access movement has attracted increased support over the past few years from both institutions and members of the scientific community. There has also been a growing interest in projects linked to open access initiatives. This article analyses the significance of open access --in accordance with the BOAI, Bethesda and Berlin declarations-- to scientific publications on the internet. An overview is provided on issues related to the impact of open access resources and to the implications of copyright concessions in an open access environment. Finally, the future perspective of open access is evaluated from the standpoint of governmental policies.