The African Copyright & Access to Knowledge

(ACA2K) Project: an overview of national copyright

environments and access to learning materials in 8 African

countries

Denise Rosemary NicholsonCopyright Services Librarian

University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburgand SA Representative - eIFL-IP Project

Denise.Nicholson@wits.ac.za

UNESCO/eIFL Regional Workshop on

‘Benefits of Open access for

Research Dissemination, Usage, Visibility and Impact’

22-23 November 2010 – ASSAf , Pretoria

Overview

Access to Information as a human rightBackground to ACA2K ProjectChoice of study countriesConceptual framework & methodologyKey research findingsRecommendationsConclusion

Access to Information & Knowledge

• Access to information – a basic human right - essential for human survival and development.

• “Freedom, prosperity and the development of society depend on education, as well as on unrestricted access to knowledge, thought, culture and information.” (IFLA/FAIFE)

• “Knowledge is not a commodity, and can never be one. Knowledge is the distillation of human endeavour, and it is the most profound collective good that there is". (A. Erwin, former Minister of Trade & Industry, South Africa)

• “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. (Nelson Mandela)

International Copyright Trends

• Create new rights

• Strengthen protection and enforcement

• Shrink the public domain

• Restrict access to knowledge

• Erode information-users’ rights

Promoting Balance & Access

International Copyright Treaties (WIPO and WTO) Adelphi Charter (UK)-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelphi_Charter

Gower’s Report on IP (UK) - www.ipo.gov.uk/policy/policy.../policy-issues-gowers.htm

CopySouth Dossier – www.copysouth.org

WSIS Declaration of Principles - http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs/geneva/official/dop.html

World Blind Union Proposed Treaty (TVI) -http://www.keionline.org/misc-docs/tvi/tvi_en.html

UK Commission on IPR - www.iprcommission.org

Copyright in Africa

Copyright vs. collective ownership

Rights-holders promote stricter copyrightLibrarians & educators excluded from legislative processStrict copyright laws restrict access & affect cross-border

resource-sharing

Main beneficiaries are developed countriesCopyright laws should be tailored

Some Regional A2K Initiatives

Access to Learning Materials for Southern Africa Conference, 2005

SADC (Gaborone) and SCECSAL (Kampala) presentations, 2005

African Copyright Forum, Kampala, Uganda, Nov. 2005

African Access to Knowledge Alliance, 2005 –

Key partner in 2 projects:◦ SARUA Open Access Leadership Summit, Botswana, 2007 -

http://www.sarua.org/?q=content/open-access-leadership-summit-gaborone-botswana-20-21-november-2007 -

◦ ACA2K Project - www.aca2k.org

Background to ACA2K Project

Restrictive copyright practices and regulations in developing countries

Lack of access to Internet-based technologies

Out-dated paradigms for knowledge collection and dissemination

Lack of creative and effective government-supported enabling environments within higher education

ACA2K Project (2007-2010)

African Access to Knowledge (AAKA), Wits Link Centre & various tertiary institutions formed research network in 2007

Probing relationship between national copyright environments and A2K in African countries.

Supported by IDRC (Canada) & Shuttleworth Foundation (SA) - Managed by Wits Link Centre

Webpage: www.aca2k.org

 

ACA2K Project Context

Global contexts:

Information Society (WSIS), MDGs (UN),

Development Agenda (WIPO)

National contexts: Laws, Policies,

Regulations, Practices, Perceptions

African context:

Development, Education,

Innovation; A2K: Learning,

Socioeconomic factors (income, gender, etc), ICT

access/infrastructure, content

(digital/’hard-copy’)

ACA2K Study Countries

8 Research Nodes: Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda.

Conceptual Framework

Knowledge

Development(broadly defined)

Human rights(Knowledge mediated/ facilitated development)

Copyright (access

infrastructure)

MethodologyDoctrinal Research Component: Analysis of the country’s copyright statutes and regulations

(audit tool), analysis of judicial and administrative decisions, case law (where applicable)

Qualitative Research Component: Secondary literature (scholarly literature, govt. reports, etc) &

Impact assessment interviews - standardised interview tools (intended or actual consequences, perceptions, interpretation, or lack thereof)

ACA2K Methodology Guide: h

ttp://www.aca2k.org/attachments/083_ACA2K%20Methodology%20Guide-April%202008.pdf

Comparative Analysis across the 8 study countries

ACA2K Research Findings

Study countries’ copyright laws compliant or exceed requirements of international treaties

Lack of copyright awareness and enforcement

The stricter the copyright law, the more the non-compliance.

ACA2K Research Findings (cont’d)

Collective management - potential remedy – but has its own problems (costs; few agencies; pay for fair use/fair dealing; lack of transparency or accountability, etc.)

Infringement is facilitating access to learning materials, not copyright

RecommendationsDisconnect between laws & practice must be narrowed

Educational & library sectors must actively participate in legislative process

More flexibility through appropriate limitations & exceptions will restore balance in copyright laws

Parallel importation, compulsory licences & exceptions to TPMs are options

Regulation of copyright in digital environment bears a special responsibility, e.g. in ICTs

Dissemination of ACA2K Research

Outcome Mapping

International Stakeholders’ Meeting, Geneva 2009

National Dialogue Workshops for all stakeholders

Research reports, academic papers, blogs

Final Research Report published in OA book: ‘Access to knowledge in Africa: the role of copyright’ -

http://www.idrc.ca/openebooks/490-1/

Solution

A Balanced International Frameworkthat enshrines ALL Users’ Rights –

andAppropriate National Copyright laws

Thank you

Denise Rosemary Nicholson

Denise.Nicholson@wits.ac.za

Wits Copyright Information

http://web.wits.ac.za/Library/Services/COPYRIGHT.htm

Wits Copyright Portal http://web.wits.ac.za/Library/ResearchResources/SubjectPortals/Copyright+and+Related+Issues.htm

Wits Plagiarism Portal

http://web.wits.ac.za/Library/ResearchResources/SubjectPortals/Plagiarism+Portal.htm

Copyright Blogs

http://aca2k.org and http://kim.wits.ac.za

“Copyright & A2K Issues” free information service

Topics covered: Copyright; Plagiarism; Open Access; Open Educational

Resources; Traditional Knowledge; Digitization and Library issues; Conference alerts; useful websites; issues affecting access to knowledge for the sensory-disabled; SA legislation that affects access to information, etc.

Subscribe at: http://lists.wits.ac.za/mailman/listinfo/copyrightanda2kinfoOr email Denise.Nicholson@wits.ac.za to subscribe you.

Other useful A2K resources

Access to Knowledge in the age of Intellectual Property -

http://www.zonebooks.org/titles/KRIK_ASuch

Other African A2K initiatives – see: —http://www.bibalex.org/a2k/attachments/references/ref

fileu24bkg55ykqwgc55zysxzq45.pdf—http://yaleisp.org/publications/a2kresearch/

Wits Portals

Wits Copyright Portal http://web.wits.ac.za/Library/ResearchResources/SubjectPortals/Copyright+and+Related+Issues.htm

Wits Plagiarism Portal

http://web.wits.ac.za/Library/ResearchResources/SubjectPortals/Plagiarism+Portal.htm

Wits Open Access, A2K & Scholarly Communication Portal

http://web.wits.ac.za/Library/ResearchResources/SubjectPortals/Open+Access+A2K+and+Scholarly+Communication.htm

Some Resources on L & Es

Guideline Document on Copyright Limitations and Exceptions - http://www.col.org/resources/knowServices/copyright/Pages/default.aspx/summary.htm

Copyright Limitations & Exceptions – Why they are important for access to knowledge - http://www.aca2k.org/index.php?option=com_idoblog&task=viewpost&id=79&Itemid=69

Exceptions and Limitations in copyright vital in South countries - http://www.twnside.org.sg/title2/intellectual_property/info.service/2008/twn.ipr.info.081102.htm

L & Es - http://www.cptech.org/ip/copyright/le.html Copyright Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries -

http://www.aallnet.org/aallwash/LCAPosition110308.pdf Wits Copyright Portal -

http://web.wits.ac.za/Library/ResearchResources/SubjectPortals/Copyright+and+Related+Issues.htm

Resources for African countries

Do Google search to find these:

WIPO Development Agenda and related issues Article 27(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 7 of the TRIPS Agreement on Objectives The Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health (2001) UK Commission on Intellectual Property Rights Report (2002) Geneva Declaration of Principles ( Paragraph 42) (2003) ICTSD/UNCTAD Policy Discussion Paper on IP and Development (2003) and its

Resource Book on TRIPS and Development (2005) World Summit on the Information Society (2003 and 2005) Chile’s proposal on Exceptions and Limitations to WIPO’s Standing Committee

on Copyright (2004) Commonwealth of Learning – Guidelines on copyright L & Es (2005) IFLA & eIFL position papers and their statements made at WIPO Access to Knowledge (A2K) Movement (Yale University) Gowers’ Review of Intellectual Property (UK) (2006) International Right to Read Campaign (WBU) Proposed WBU Treaty for the Blind at WIPO

Useful Copyright Handbooks

eIFL Handbook on Copyright & Related Issues:http://www.eifl.net/cps/sections/docs/ip_docs/draft-law

“Introducing Copyright – a plain language guide to copyright” (Commonwealth of Learning): http://www.col.org/resources/publications/monographs/Pages/Copyright.aspx

Tips for developing countries when reviewing copyright laws

See: http://www.aca2k.org/index.php?option=com_idoblog&task=viewpost&id=229&Itemid=73&lang=en

or www.aca2k.org (click on Blog)

International A2K initiatives

IFLA – (1700 member organizations/150 countries) – www.ifla.org

eIFL.net - (member organizations in 50 developing/in-transition countries) - www.eifl.net

EBLIDA (150 European library/archive associations, etc.)- www.eblida.org

Commonwealth of Learning – (53 Commonwealth countries)- www.col.org

Consumers International – www.consumersinternational.org

International A2K initiatives (cont’d)

Transatlantic Consumers’ Dialogue (TACD) – www.tacd.org

Knowledge Ecology International - www.keionline.org Consumer Project on Technology (CPTech) -

www.cptech.org A2K Global Social Movement (Yale University, USA) -

http://research.yale.edu/isp/ Copy South (Kent Law School, UK – www.copysouth.org

Regional A2K initiatives African Copyright & Access to Knowledge (ACA2K) Project -

www.aca2k.org Access to Learning Materials for Southern Africa Project –

www.access.og.za (2005) (website now closed) African Access to Knowledge Alliance – Ugandan Chapter, 2005 -

Continental Organization, 2007 (currently in partnership with ACA2K) http://www.col.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Copyright_Alliance_article.pdf

Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) – www.osisa.org African Digital Commons - www.commons-sense.org Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA) –

www.sarua.org Publishing and Alternative Licensing Model of Africa (PALM) -

http://www.idrc.ca/ccaa/ev-117012-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html SADC-Centre for Distance Education - www.sardec.org.bw

South African A2K initiatives

Creative Commons/iCommons (South Africa) - icommons.org Wits Link Centre - http://link.wits.ac.za/ Library Association of SA (LIASA)/FAIFE – www.liasa.org Shuttleworth Foundation – www.shuttleworthfoundation.org African Virtual Open Initiatives and Resources (AVOIR) -

http://avoir.uwc.ac.za/ Sivulile Open Access Project - http://www.sivulile.org/ CSIR research Space - http://researchspace.csir.co.za/dspace/ Human Sciences Research Council (South Africa) -

http://www.hsrc.ac.za

OA institutional repositories in tertiary institutions

SA National A2K initiatives

SA Government – adopted Open Source policy - www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=94490

The National Research Foundation (NRF) – advocacy role re: OA National Electronic Theses & Dissertations Repository - www.nrf.ac.za

Academy of Science of South Africa - SCIELO-South Africa OA publishing project - www.assaf.co.za

eIFL Model Copyright Law

See: http://www.eifl.net/news/eifl-ip-draft-copyright-law-available-online