A2K
From piracy to copyright reform - APC proposes new model for South Africa
The South African copyright law is up for reform and access-to-knowledge (A2K) advocates led by the National Council for the Blind have seen some important gains in their engagement with the Department of Trade and Industry. In support APC has commissioned a paper on model A2K legislation. The paper looks at the South African case but is a useful document for anyone anywhere in the world who wants to strengthen access-to-knowledge provisions under a revised copyright law.
Report on fundamental rights, and global copyright legislative best practise for access to knowledge in South Africa
This paper by Andrew Rens – commissioned by the APC – is meant to serve as a resource to support civil society’s A2K advocacy with respect to the upcoming South African copyright law reform process.
Submission by South African civil society organisations on Intellectual Property Amendment Bill
The Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Bill seeks to address an important issue. However the way it does so threatens to hinder the preservation of traditional knowledge, severely diminish the South African public domain and limit access to knowledge.
Access to knowledge conference in Yale: Video interviews
More than 20% of human genes are patented in the US which, among other things, is preventing people from accessing affordable and appropriate testing and diagnoses of genetic diseases. This is only one example of how restrictive intellectual property legislation is impacting human rights. At the Yale Information Society Project’s conference, of which APC was an organising partner, these issues, which also include the impact on innovation, scientific research, freedom of expression online and education were discussed by civil society and adademia. Watch some video interviews.
APC co-convenes Yale conference on access to knowledge for human rights
Following the impact of Global Information Society Watch 2009 which put the spotlight on “access to knowledge for advancing democracy and human rights”, the University of Yale has invited GISWatch co-publisher APC to co-convene their fourth Access to Knowledge Conference. The conference organised by Yale’s information society project will unite scholars and human rights activists to look at designing laws, policies and technical architectures to promote “social progress across the globe”. Find out more about the conference.
Media piracy: Approaching IP from the South
As new copyright laws attempt to keep pace with the shifting landscape of digital cultural production, legal restrictions on media use and distribution are being championed by heavyweights in the global media industry. This has led to the web of restrictions on media consumption becoming denser. Civil society network APC hopes to re-shape the discourse surrounding piracy by providing a thoroughly researched, credible alternative to the industry’s data.
