Pedro Paranagua - Brazil’s Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), a higher education institution comprised of four Schools (Economic, Business, Law, and Social Science), placed amongst the world’s top-5 “policy-maker think-tank” according to the US magazine Foreign Policy has launched three new books (in Brazilian Portuguese) on intellectual property -related fields.
Archive for the ‘Copyright’ Category
Three books on IP launched in Brazil
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010The Public Domain Manifesto
Monday, February 8th, 2010Pedro Paranagua - The Public Domain Manifesto, which was produced within the context of COMMUNIA, the European Thematic Network on the digital public domain, has recently been launched. The Manifesto is a timely reminder that the public domain “is the wealth of information that is free from the barriers to access or reuse usually associated with copyright protection, either because it is free from any copyright protection or because the right holders have decided to remove these barriers.”
Commentary on the WIPO-SCCR Information Meeting on Limitations and Exceptions for Educational Activities
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009Susan Isiko Štrba - The Nineteenth Session of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) opened with an information meeting on limitations and exceptions (L&Es) to copyright and related rights for educational activities. Four experts presented their studies on: a) L&Es for education in Latin America and the Caribbean (Juan Carlos Monroy), b) L&Es for teaching in Africa (Joseph Fometeu), c) L&Es for educational purposes in the Arab countries (Victor Nabhan), and d) L&Es for educational activities in North America, Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia and Israel (Raquel Xalabarder). The study on L&Es for educational activities for Asia and Australia was not presented.
The U.S.A Stands up to be Counted on Improving Access for Visually Impaired Persons
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009Sisule F. Musungu - A key item at the on-going ninetenth Session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) is a discussion on a proposed treaty for improving access for the blind, visually impaired and other reading disabled persons (hereinafter “TVI”). Naturally, the proposal by the World Blind Union, formally presented to SCCR by Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay, has generated not only intense interest but also significant opposition from predictable quaters such as the US Chamber of Commerce. As a corollary, it has been believed that the United States government will oppose such a proposal. The statement of the United States at the SCCR on TVI, however, is a worth a read, because, as a student of international intellectual property (IP) policy-making I can argue that it will mark an important historical moment in the politics of intellectual property. It was not only an enlightened statement but a statement that demonstrated a level of leadership that needs to acknowledged.
Commentary on the WIPO Study on limitations and exceptions to copyright and related rights for the benefit of teaching in Africa
Sunday, December 13th, 2009Susan Isiko Štrba - The study on limitations and exceptions (L&E) for copyright and related rights for teaching in Africa to be discussed at the nineteenth Session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) which will take place from 14 to 18 December 2009, is a valuable contribution as it summarizes the status of limitations and exceptions (L&E) for the benefit of teaching in over 30 African countries south of the Sahara. However, by focusing on teaching instead of educational activities and excluding L&E for research or private study jeopardizes the purpose of the study.
