The Third Access to Knowledge (A2K3) Conference

• Author: Sisule F. Musungu/Maximiliano Santa Cruz/Ahmed Abdel Latif

Overview

The A2K3 Conference, building on two earlier conferences, presented and discussed new research, ideas and findings on access to knowledge (A2K) and took stock of progress in advancing A2K goals in international fora ranging from WIPO to United Nations (UN) human rights bodies.

Key objectives included:

* to advance the thinking on the conceptual framework for A2K;

* to present new analyses, information and findings including country case studies;

* to assess progress in implementation and discuss strategies for advancing A2K initiatives and mandates in international fora and processes such as the WIPO Development Agenda;

* to present specific success stories in technology and business; and

* to continue mobilizing academia, civil society, governments and the private sector around A2K issues.

Topics ranged from the broad, including the relationship between A2K and issues such as trade, human rights, the knowledge gap and the WIPO Development Agenda, to the more specific, such as copyright limitations and exceptions, prizes as alternatives to IP rights-based monopolies, media and communication rights through to practical, open business strategies and technologies of access.

Geneva offered an ideal venue to attract new participants to the A2K discussions and to relate A2K ideals to concrete policy and business concerns, taking discussions outside the academic sphere. The broader audience targeted by the Conference included government officials (especially those involved in the areas of IP, human rights and trade negotiation); officials from key international organizations, such as WIPO, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); civil society representatives; academics and researchers, particularly from developing countries; and industry representatives.

The event was organized jointly by the Information Society Project at Yale Law School (Yale ISP), Electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL.net), the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Center for Technology and Society at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) School of Law, Rio de Janeiro, the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), the International Federation of Library...