[BOAI] LINK CENTRE: LINK Centre book launched - 'Access to Knowledge in Africa: The Role of Copyright' (available online)

[Jakes Rawlinson]

Hi All,

I thought this new publication could be of relevance to some of the workers
on the lists.

Best,

Jakes

PS Apologies for cross posting!!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Charley Lewis <Charley.Lewis at wits.ac.za>
Date: 31 July 2010 11:54
Subject: LINK CENTRE: LINK Centre book launched - 'Access to Knowledge in
Africa: The Role of Copyright' (available online)
To: link-info at lists.wits.ac.za


 *Access to Knowledge in Africa: The Role of Copyright*

*C Armstrong, J de Beer, D Kawooya, A Prabhala and T Schonwetter (editors) *

The LINK Centre at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, proudly
makes available a book setting out the outputs and findings of its African
Copyright and Access to Knowledge (ACA2K) research project.  The book, which
is published by UCT Press, and which was launched at the Cape Town Book Fair
a few minutes ago, is simultaneously available for download in pdf format
from http://link.wits.ac.za/papers/aca2k-book.html.

The emergence of the Internet and the digital world has changed the way
people access, produce and share information and knowledge. Yet people in
Africa face challenges in accessing scholarly publications, journals and
learning materials in general. At the heart of these challenges, and
solutions to them, is copyright, the branch of intellectual property rights
that covers written and related works.

This book gives the reader an understanding of the legal and practical
constraints posed by copyright for access to learning materials in Africa,
and identifies the relevant lessons, best policies and best practices that
would broaden and deepen this access.  It reflects and showcases the outputs
and findings of the African Copyright and Access to Knowledge (ACA2K)
research project, LINK Centre, University of the Witwatersrand, launched in
late 2007 as a network of researchers committed to probing the relationship
between copyright and learning materials access in eight African countries:
Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda.

Some books should not just be read, they should be calls to action, as we
hope this book will be: Why should this be so? Africa is emerging as a
knowledge-based region. While its economies remain more strongly
agricultural than manufacturing-based, the continent has nevertheless
evolved and continues to evolve services-based economies rooted in banking
and financial services, tourism and hospitality services and public
services. African economies therefore have an expressed need for the current
and future generations of young people to have access to the knowledge
required to drive these agricultural-service economies and to create new
value for a billion people.

On a continent still ravaged by conflict and hunger and lacking in many
freedoms, free (government-funded) education would be meaningless without
open access to knowledge. This is the reality and the debate that the
book *Access
to knowledge in Africa: The role of copyright* takes us into. What is the
role of copyright, at the beginning of the 21st century, in restricting
Africa’s freedoms? How should we think about copyright in the new century,
given all the possibilities of the Internet?

These are matters for the attention of governments and policy-makers.
Authors (the authors of this book included) are activists for intellectual
property freedoms, so that policy-makers can make the necessary changes to
laws and regulations. Change is necessary, lest education become irrelevant
because the thousands of schools on the continent cannot afford to purchase
learning materials and copying and other forms of re-use are restricted.
Libraries are few with minimal resources, many outdated and of little value
to emerging generations.

We, all, should be encouraging the writing and publication of learning
materials – by Africans, for Africans, freely available in print and on the
public Internet, with a special focus on learning materials for the
foundation years so crucial for this and future generations wishing to build
a strong continental economy and vibrant information society.

Special honours go to the authors and editors, especially Chris Armstrong in
Nairobi for his determined efforts, to Dick Kawooya, Project Lead and
co-editors Jeremy, Achal and Tobias; also to Denise Nicholson, copyright
librarian at Wits University for her advice and participation.
Acknowledgements are due to the project partners – IDRC, The Shuttleworth
Foundation and the University of the Witwatersrand.




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-- 
Dr JL Rawlinson
Department of Community Health / Public Health Medicine
Polokwane Mankweng Hospital Complex
University of Limpopo
Polokwane
South Africa

+27-15-287 5331 (W)
+27-82 410 9524 (Mobile)
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