Education, Academia and Research Working Group/Families
Key principles:
� Knowledge and creativity are at the heart of the information
society. The diversity and plurality of knowledge plays a crucial role.
� Research is a keystone of information society. The public
domain
should continue to play a crucial role in the provision and dissemination
of knowledge.
� Knowledge is about empowerment and participation which should
be
the objectives of the information society.
� Knowledge and education are critical enabling agents in
building
a global information society in which all citizens can participate on an
equal footing.
� The key goals of Lifelong Learning (Hamburg Declaration,
1997)
and Education for All (Dakar Declaration, 2000) must be the basis of the
Information Society�s educational agenda.
� Education is the golden road to knowledge for all and special
focus should be devoted to disadvantaged groups.
� Life long learning is important not only for a
country�s economic
growth, but for serving the public interest towards total human
development.
� Access to knowledge cannot be reduced to e-learning and
connectivity.
� Information society should lead to a knowledge society to
facilitate the elimination of existing socio-economic inequalities within
countries and between countries.
Action lines:
� Ensure free access for all to archives, libraries and
research
institutions.
� Promote further research programs especially in the countries
of
the South.
� Facilitate North-South and South-South information exchange
with
all possible communication tools.
� Create training programs for teachers and educators in the use
of
ICTs and other communication tools.
� Use ICTs and other communication tools to reach out
marginalized
and rural areas.
� Develop tools and programs for life long learning.
� Ensure gender parity and equality in all educational actions
Organisational information:
Focal Point for the Civil Society Bureau: Beatriz Busaniche
(beatriz@maxmedia.com.ar)
Alternate focal point: Pape Ndiaye Diouf (pape.diouf@iued.unige.ch)
Regional/ thematic contact persons:
University/Research - Europe : Divine Frau-Meigs (meigs@wanadoo.fr)
University/Research - Africa : Pape Ndiaye Diouf
(pape.diouf@iued.unige.ch)
University/Research - Latin America:Diego Levis (dlevis@links.org.ar)
Library - Africa: Ellen Tise (etise@uwc.ac.za)
Lifelong Learning - Asia: Robert Francis Garcia (bobgar@pacific.net.ph)
General Education / Africa Shafika Isaacs (s.isaacs@schoolnetafrica.org)
Geneva, 21-02-03
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"INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY POLICY" Working Group
Contribution for a Draft of Principles and an Action Plan of the Civil
Society on PrepCom2
GLOBAL INFORMATION COMMONS
---------------------------
Key Principles
Knowledge is the heritage and property of all humanity and thus is
free. It is an unlimited resource and it grows as you share it.
Commercially exploited knowledge is merely an exception to this rule.
Knowledge therefore may not be put at the exclusive disposal of private
users, because it represents the reservoir from which new knowledge is
created. In the Information or Knowledge Society a new balance between
the interests of IPR-holders and the public interest in free flow of
information and access to knowledge on behalf of developement,
innovation and creativity should be found.
Moreover, more and more IP rights are owned by IT or culture companies,
especially very big multinational corporations. They are lobbying
strongly to strengthen IP rights and construct universal IP regimes all
over the world through WIPO and WTO TRIPS. In this global IP regimes,
fair use rights, right to access information, and freedom of speech are
severely violated, as we see in the Napster case. Moreover, global IP
regimes are not beneficial for developing countries. In this regards, It
should be reconfirmed that fundamental purpose of IP rights is to
promote the prosperity of human development and cultural plurality and
diversity, and in this context, global IP regimes should be reviewed to
restore the balance between the rights to participate in, enjoy and
share cultural life of community, the arts and knowledge and the IP
rights.
Action Lines
- The IPR-system, (copyright, patent) needs a fundamental review. Of
central relevance here are the TRIPS agreements and WIPO Conventions
which should be reviewed.
- Development can best be encouraged through tailoring a diversity of
copyright regimes to the different circumstances. Each country should
have the right to make the law and policy including IP law for
developing its own knowledge base and culture, without any oppression of
other countries.
- The duration of Copyright holders monopoly should vary in
different contexts
- The concept of *fair use" should be protected to maximize the
potential of creativity of the public sphere. Non-commercial use of
digital contents should be regarded and protected as fair use.
- Alternatives to the existing Copyright system should provide more
open and collective ownership structures.
- The right to access to drugs should not be limited by patent,
especially pharmaceutical patent, and national policy for public health
such as compulsory license should be allowed without interference of
other countries as addressed in the declaration on TRIPS agreement and
public health adopted in Doha WTO ministrial conference.
- To strength public domain including open contents and open/free
software.
- IP rights should not be granted to the contents or technology created
by public fund.
- Freedom of speech and privacy rights should not be threatened by
misuse of IP rights, especially by controlling ISP(Internet Service
Provider).
- Copyright or similar monopoly right should not be granted to the
databases.
Contact:
Se�n � Siochr�: sean@nexus.ie
Oh, Byoungil: antiropy@jinbo.net
Olga Drossou: drossou@boell.de
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