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<font size=3>[Forwarding from the Yale Information Society Project.
--Peter Suber.]<br><br>
<br>
<b>Yale ISP Celebrates Open Access Week with New Research<br><br>
</b>The <a href="http://yaleisp.org/">Information Society Project at Yale
Law School (Yale ISP)</a> today launched three
<a href="http://yaleisp.org/publications/a2kresearch">new reports on the
state of access to knowledge</a> 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
<a href="http://www.openaccessweek.org/about-the-oa-movement/">Open
Access Week, October 19-23, 2009</a>.<br><br>
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
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/about/what-is-cc">Creative
Commons</a> licenses and is
<a href="http://yaleisp.org/publications/a2kresearch">available for free
download</a> at the Yale ISP website.<br><br>
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
<a href="http://www.law.yale.edu/intellectuallife/10114.htm">A2K Global
Academy</a>, a network of academic centers dedicated to research,
education, and policy analysis promoting access to knowledge. <br><br>
The project has already resulted in two books, both forthcoming from the
open access publishing imprint
<a href="http://www.bloomsburyacademic.com/forthcoming.htm">Bloomsbury
Academic</a> this winter: <i>Access to Knowledge in Brazil: New Research
on Intellectual Property, Innovation and Development</i>, and <i>Access
to Knowledge in Egypt: New Research on Intellectual Property, Innovation
and Development</i>.<br><br>
Research examining related topics in India and China was
<a href="http://www.law.yale.edu/intellectuallife/10114.htm">launched</a>
in August 2009. The newest installment, featuring insights into the state
of access to knowledge in Argentina, Ethiopia, and South Africa,
completes <a href="http://yaleisp.org/publications/a2kresearch">the
series of seven reports</a>. 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.<br><br>
The three-year research project was supported with funding from the
<a href="http://www.macfound.org/">John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation</a>, as part of an initiative supporting international
academic collaboration on access to knowledge challenges and
opportunities. <br><br>
“Innovation is the basis for economic growth and finding solutions to
pressing problems,” said <a href="http://leashaver.net/">Lea Shaver</a>,
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.”<br><br>
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.<br><br>
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
<a href="http://isp.law.yale.edu/">isp.law.yale.edu</a>. <br><br>
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