[BOAI] Celebrating OA week with new research on A2K

[Peter Suber]

[Forwarding from the Yale Information Society Project.  --Peter Suber.]


Yale ISP Celebrates Open Access Week with New Research

The <http://yaleisp.org/>Information Society Project at Yale Law School 
(Yale ISP) today launched three 
<http://yaleisp.org/publications/a2kresearch>new reports on the state of 
access to knowledge in comparative national perspective. The new works 
feature research on challenges of intellectual property and innovation in 
three developing countries. The launch is timed to coincide with the 
first-ever international celebration of 
<http://www.openaccessweek.org/about-the-oa-movement/>Open Access Week, 
October 19-23, 2009.

Open Access Week seeks to raise awareness of the importance of open access 
to research. In today's world, proper use of digital publication platforms 
and open copyright licenses can greatly facilitate the spread and impact of 
academic research. Consistent with these values, the research launched this 
week carries <http://creativecommons.org/about/what-is-cc>Creative Commons 
licenses and is <http://yaleisp.org/publications/a2kresearch>available for 
free download at the Yale ISP website.

In developing the reports, the Yale ISP partnered with academic 
institutions abroad at the University of Buenos Aires, the University of 
Addis Abeba, and the University of Cape Town. Research teams within these 
and other institutions have joined with the Yale ISP to form the 
<http://www.law.yale.edu/intellectuallife/10114.htm>A2K Global Academy, a 
network of academic centers dedicated to research, education, and policy 
analysis promoting access to knowledge.

The project has already resulted in two books, both forthcoming from the 
open access publishing imprint 
<http://www.bloomsburyacademic.com/forthcoming.htm>Bloomsbury Academic this 
winter: Access to Knowledge in Brazil: New Research on Intellectual 
Property, Innovation and Development, and Access to Knowledge in Egypt: New 
Research on Intellectual Property, Innovation and Development.

Research examining related topics in India and China was 
<http://www.law.yale.edu/intellectuallife/10114.htm>launched in August 
2009. The newest installment, featuring insights into the state of access 
to knowledge in Argentina, Ethiopia, and South Africa, completes 
<http://yaleisp.org/publications/a2kresearch>the series of seven reports. 
Topics addressed by the research include: open source software, alternative 
business models for cultural production, exceptions and limitations to 
copyright, ICT for development, access to medicines, open educational 
resources, technological standards, and biotechnology.

The three-year research project was supported with funding from the 
<http://www.macfound.org/>John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, as 
part of an initiative supporting international academic collaboration on 
access to knowledge challenges and opportunities.

"Innovation is the basis for economic growth and finding solutions to 
pressing problems," said <http://leashaver.net/>Lea Shaver, director of the 
ISP's research program in access to knowledge. "But law and policy do not 
always support innovation optimally, nor ensure that new knowledge spreads 
as widely as it could. This research offers important guidance to 
policymakers, particularly in the context of developing countries."

Continuing its academic work in this area, the Yale ISP will host a major 
conference on access to knowledge and human rights on February 12-13, 2010 
at Yale Law School.

The Yale Information Society Project is an intellectual center at Yale Law 
School that studies the implications of new information technologies for 
law and society, guided by values of democracy, human rights, and 
innovation. For more information, visit 
<http://isp.law.yale.edu/>isp.law.yale.edu.
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