[Sigifp-l] [Fwd: [bridges.org news] announcement / ipr-ict email discussion (e-debate)]

Mon Jul 18 03:45:04 EDT 2005

INVITATION / ANNOUNCEMENT

Email discussion list (e-debate)

“Intellectual property rights: issues for Africa in the information  
society”

20 July – 21 August 2005

The goal of this four-week long email discussion is to raise  
awareness of critical issues around intellectual property rights  
(IPR) for Africa, to provide an overview of the existing legal  
processes and tools, to discuss alternatives to the current  
situation, and to facilitate exchange and collaboration between  
individuals and organisations working in this field. Based on the  
discussion, a short summary report -- including a number of  
recommended activities -- will be prepared in English and French.

The discussion is a joint project of the Center for International ICT  
Policy for West and Central Africa (CIPACO, supported by Panos  
Institute West Africa Project) and the Collaboration for  
International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA, a  
programme of bridges.org). CIPACO and CIPESA are supported by the  
Catalysing Access to ICT in Africa (CATIA) Initiative of the UK  
Department for International Development.

The discussion is conducted with expert co-moderators from a range of  
organisations, including the Consumer Project on Technology and the  
Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The discussion will be hosted at: http://www.cipaco.org/rubrique.php3? 
id_rubrique=34&lang=en

DATES

The discussion will run from Wednesday 20 July - Sunday 21 August 2005

TOPICS

Week 1 (20 - 26 July): General overview -- what is at stake for Africa?
General overview of IPR in the information society; the traditional  
role of copyright and patents; issues in developing countries; pros  
and cons of IPR enforcement for developing countries.

Week 2 (27 July - 2 August): International IPR mechanisms
Introduction and discussion of existing legal instruments and  
relevant organisations, including WTO TRIPS, TRIPS Plus, WIPO  
Internet Treaties, Free Trade Agreements that include IPR, etc.

Week 3 (3 - 9 August): Applications of IPR in Africa
Free/Open Source Software; digital rights management (DRM); learning  
materials; protection of local content and indigenous knowledge;  
relevance and use of IPR laws for local creative industries, etc.

Week 4 (10 - 16 August): Alternatives to the existing IPR regimes
Copyleft -- turning copyright upside down; Creative Commons and other  
open access initiatives; WIPO development agenda and Geneva  
Declaration; the impact of IPR infringement.

Week 5 (17 - 21 August): Wrap up, conclusions and recommendations
Discussion of what action can be taken with regard to national,  
regional and international IPR policy.

TARGET GROUP

The discussion is open to the public and free of charge. A wide range  
of individuals and organisations is encouraged to contribute,  
including: policy-makers and their advisors, academics, private  
sector representatives from entertainment and creative industries,  
artists, journalists, lawyers, and the general public interested in  
IPR issues in Africa.

Participants are encouraged to use the recommended reading list (that  
will be provided online) to achieve a basic understanding of IPR  
prior to the discussion. No other preparation is necessary.

DISCUSSION IN FRENCH AND ENGLISH

To encourage collaboration and exchange across language and regional  
boundaries in Africa, the discussion will be conducted in French and  
English simultaneously.
* Translations or summaries of “important” mails would be provided on  
a 24 h basis
* Links to tools for automatic translation will be provided to enable  
participants to post in both languages.

MODERATORS / FACILITATORS

The different topics and themes will be introduced by moderators who  
will also facilitate the discussion. In addition, international  
experts on specific topics will contribute specifically to their  
areas of expertise. A number of international experts will contribute  
as co-moderators to individual topics.

SUBSCRIPTION

To subscribe, please visit http://www.cipaco.org/article.php3? 
id_article=74&lang=en, or send an email to Ken Lohento klohento at panos- 
ao.org (West and Central African participants) or to Anthony Mugeere  
anthony at bridges.org (East and Southern African participants).  
Northern African participants are encouraged to use any of the  
subscription methods above.

 ---

About bridges.org and CIPESA

CIPESA is a programme of bridges.org. It is dedicated to increasing  
the capacity of East and Southern African stakeholders to participate  
in international ICT policy-making. It is one of two programmes with  
this specific objective, established under the Catalysing Access to  
Information and Communications Technologies in Africa (CATIA)  
initiative and funded by the UK Department for International  
Development. Its sister programme, CIPACO (serving West and Central  
Africa) has been launched by Panos West Africa. Working together, the  
programmes will stimulate discussion, undertake research and policy  
analysis, and disseminate findings concerning international ICT  
issues. The aim is to enable African interests to be more effectively  
represented in international policy fora, and international policy  
decisions to be more effectively translated into positive outcomes in  
Africa. For more information see http://www.cipesa.org and http:// 
www.bridges.org.

About Panos Institute West Africa and the CIPACO project

The CIPACO project was established by the Panos Institute West Africa  
(PIWA), a non-governmental African organization with the objective to  
promote a culture of democracy, of citizenship and of peace, through  
information and communication. It was initiated in the framework of  
the international CATIA Programme, with an aim to strengthen  
stakeholders’ capacities in West and Central Africa, for a better  
participation in international ICT decision-making. CIPACO is part of  
PIWA ICT Programme. CIPACO has five main areas of activity:
* Animation of an information system (portal website on ICT policies  
for the two covered regions, electronic news bulletins)
* Production of studies and analysis
* Organisation of periodic thematic electronic debates
* Support to participate in international key meetings
* Collaboration with other specialised initiatives on ICT policies.
More information on Panos Institute West Africa: http://www.panos-ao.org
More information on CIPACO project: http://www.cipaco.org
More information on CATIA Programme: http://www.catia.ws

More information on CATIA can be found at www.catia.ws

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-- 
=================================================================
Dr. Michel J. Menou
Consultant in ICT policies and Knowledge & Information Management
Adviser of Somos at Telecentros board http://www.tele-centros.org
Member of the funding steering committee of 
Telecenters of the Americas Partnership http://www.tele-centers.net/
B.P. 15
49350 Les Rosiers sur Loire, France
Email: Michel.Menou at wanadoo.fr
Phone: +33 (0)2 41518165
Fax: +33 (0)2 41511043
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ciber/peoplemenou.php
==================================================================

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