The Global Public Sphere: Media and Communication Rights
Filed in Uncategorized, 10 September 2008, 4:37 pm by MSteffenNew technologies enable communication that transcends the boundaries of the nation state, creating the possibility of a public sphere that also transcends the nation state. The A2K movement itself takes advantage of the digital facilities - such as wikis, blogs, mobile devices, and social networking tools - that might produce a global public sphere. At the same time, the technologies that enable the possibility of a global public sphere also create mechanisms for censoring, blocking, and restricting access. Restrictive mechanisms range from traditional forms of censorship to digital filtering through to media concentration.
This panel will assess how the networked public sphere both engenders new opportunities but also places new limitations on methods of public mobilization and protest.
Panel XI: Open Access to Science and Research
Filed in Uncategorized, , 4:09 pm by nabihasyedOpen access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of unnecessary copyright and licensing restrictions. Made possible by the internet and author consent, OA supports wider and faster access to knowledge. This panel featured Leslie Chan, of the University of Toronto; Subbiah Arunachalam of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and Global Knowledge Partnership; Eve Gray of the Centre for Educational Technology, UCT; and DK Sahu of Medknow Publications Pvt. Ltd. Peter Suber from the Yale Information Society Project and SPARC moderated this panel.
Dr. Victoria Stodden awarded the Kaltura Prize
Filed in a2k, , 12:00 pm by nadiaThis morning, Dr. Victoria Stodden was awarded the Kaltura Prize for her paper entitled “Enabling Reproducible Research: Open Licensing for Scientific Innovation.” The Kaltura Prize is granted to the author of the best submission on a topic relating to digital media remix, open-source business models, collaborative production, democratic culture, or related themes which speak to the identity of Kaltura as the world’s first open-source video platform.
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Alternatives to Monopolies : Prizes
Filed in a2k, , 11:28 am by nadiaToday’s second panel will discuss the possibility of prizes as alternatives to monopolies. The panel will be moderated by Rishab Ghosh of UNU-MERIT, and the panelists will include James Love of Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), Bard Geesaman of X-Prize Foundation, Erika Duenas from the Embassy of Bolivia in Washington D.C. and Pierre Chirac, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF)
Technological Standards are Public Policy
Filed in a2k, conference, , 11:26 am by victoriastoddenI just listened to Laura DeNardis, executive director of Yale Law School’s Information Society Project, speak during the panel on Technologies for Access. She makes the point that many of our technological standards are being made behind closed doors and by private, largely unaccountable, parties such as ICANN, ISO, the ITU, and other standards bodies. She advocates the concept of Open Standards, which she defines in a three-fold way as open in development, open in implementation, and open in usage. DeNardis worries that without such protections in place stakeholders can be subject to a standard they were not a party to, and this can affect nations in ways that might not be beneficial to them, particularly in areas such as civil rights, and especially in less developed countries. In fact, an audience member comments that even when countries appears to be involved, their delegations are often comprised of private companies and are not qualified. For example, she says that there are only three countries in Africa that have people with the requisite techinical expertise in such state standards councils and that the involvment process is far from transparent. DeNardis also mentions the Dynamic Coalition on Open Standards designed to preserve the open architecture of the internet, with which the Yale ISP is involved for advocacy at the Internet Governance Forum. DeNardis powerfully points out that standards are very much public policy, as much as the regulation we typically think of as public policy.
Crossposted on Victoria Stodden
Technologies for Access
Filed in a2k, , 11:25 am by anjaliFor panel descriptions and links to bios see: http://www.law.yale.edu/intellectuallife/7118.htm
A2K Academy Launch
Filed in a2k, , 10:05 am by MSteffen
Immediately following the last panel, speakers from academic institutions in five countries announced an exciting new partnership in research, scholarship, and curriculum design for A2K. [slides]
At right, the A2K Academy’s first book launch. The cover image features Sherezade, an installation by Brazilian artist Hilal Sami Hilal at the Palacio das Artes in 2007, captured by Brazilian photographer Elmo Alves.
Research and Capacity Building for A2K
Filed in a2k, , 10:04 am by MSteffenThe panel description and speaker bios are here. Please post your comments below the summary…
Open Business Models
Filed in Uncategorized, 9 September 2008, 11:40 am by nabihasyedA new breed of entrepreneurs has emerged to challenge the old assumption that exclusive intellectual property regimes are essential for cultural innovation. These new business models demonstrate that “free culture”—in the sense of open and democratic—can still provide livelihoods for creators and businesspeople. This panel will examine these new ways of doing business and discuss their potential to foster wider access to knowledge in a digital age, and features Ronaldo Lemos, Fundacão Getulio Vargas (FGV) School of Law; Charles Igwe, The Big Picture Ltd; Regina Casé, Pindorama Produçoes Artisticas Ltda; Elizabeth Stark, Yale Information Society Project; and moderated by William Drake, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.
The Value of Copyright Exceptions and Limitations in the Information Society
Filed in a2k, , 11:36 am by anjaliThis panel will explore the value of copyright exceptions and limitations and includes the insights of Bernt Hugenholtz, University of Amsterdam, Kenneth Crews, Colombia University, Emilija Banionyte, Vilnius Pedagogical University Library, Lithuania, Coenraad Visser, University of South Africa (UNISA), Antoine Aubert, Google, and moderated by Winston Tabb, IFLA.
Closing the Knowledge Gap
Filed in a2k, , 9:13 am by nadia
Anil Gupta
The first panel of day 2 will discuss closing the knowledge gap. The panel will be moderated by Madhavi Sunder of the University of Chicago Law School and the panelists include Miriam Nisbet of the Information Society Division, UNESCO, Anil Gupta of the Honey Bee Network, Alan Story from the University of Kent and Copy South Research Group, and Padmashree Gehl Sampath of the Open University and UNU-MERIT.
A2K and International Trade
Filed in a2k, 8 September 2008, 3:14 pm by anjali
The Panel
The last panel of the day explores the relationship between access to knowledge and international trade and features Thiru Balasubramaniam, Knowledge Ecology International, Catherine P. Bennet, National Foreign Trade Council, Margaret Chon, Seattle University School of Law, Gabrielle Marceau, WTO Secretariat and University of Geneva, Sisule Musungu, University of Bern & IQsensato and moderated by Miguel Rodriguez Mendoza, ICTSD
Access to Knowledge and the WIPO Development Agenda
Filed in a2k, , 1:26 pm by nadia
Teresa Hackett
The third panel of the day will explore the Access to Knowledge Movement and its relation to the WIPO Development Agenda. The panel features Dominique Foray of Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne, Teresa Hackett of eIFL.net, Richard Owens of World Intellectual Property Organization, Maximiliano Santa Cruz of the Permanent Mission of Chile in Geneva, and Uma Suthersanen of Queen Mary School of Law. The panel will be moderated by Ahmed Abdel Latif of ICTSD.
Access to Knowlege and Human Rights
Filed in conference, , 12:00 pm by nabihasyed
The Panel
The second panel of the day will examine the relationship between human rights and A2K, featuring Molly K. Beutz of New York Law School, Christian Courtis of the International Commission of Jurists, and Marisella Ouma of the Kenya Copyright Board. The panel is moderated by Caroline Dommen of 3D-Trade-Human Rights-Equitable Economy.
The Global A2K Movement
Filed in a2k, , 11:38 am by Lea ShaverThe opening panel examines the history, impact, and future of the Global A2K Movement. The panel description and speaker bios are here.
Keynote Address by Jack Balkin
Filed in a2k, , 11:19 am by Lea ShaverJack Balkin, Founding Director of the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, gave a keynote address on the lessons of the Network Neutrality debate for Access to Knowledge.
Opening Addresses
Filed in a2k, , 11:11 am by Lea Shaver
Sisule Musungu
Sisule Musungu, the conference organizer, and Laura DeNardis, the Executive Director of the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, opened the A2K3 Conference. A short summary of their remarks follows…
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