[A2k] [A2K-IGF] press release on A2k@IGF Dynamic Coalition

[Manon Ress]

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IP Justice Media Release
1 November 2006

Media Contacts:

Robin Gross, IP Justice Executive Director
Greek telephone: (+30) 697 9851074
Email: robin@ipjustice.org

James Love, CPTech Executive Director
Greek telephone: (+30) 697 9605013
Email: james.love@cptech.org


Internet Coalition to Promote Access to Knowledge and Online Free Speech
Civil Society, Govt, Business, & Academia Join Together to Form
=93A2K@IGF=94

(Athens) A broad range of companies, civil society organizations,
governments, and academics have joined together to form a =93dynamic
coalition=94 to promote online freedom of expression and access to
knowledge at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations Internet
Governance Forum IGF) in Athens.

One of the main =93deliverables=94 of the IGF meeting is the creation of
dynamic coalitions, or multi-stakeholder groups working together over a
multi-year process to provide recommendations for =93best practices=94 on
particular issues that deal with online activity.

On Wednesday, November 1st at IGF in Athens, a number of the organizers
of the IGF workshop on freedom of expression and access to knowledge
held a press conference to announce the creation of a dynamic coalition.
The coalition will work towards promoting the Internet as a tool of
development, education and freedom, and will focus on the proper balance
for intellectual property rights in a digital world.

Among others, founding members of the IGF dynamic coalition include IP
Justice, Google, Council of Europe, CPTech, Sun Microsystems,
Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Yale Law School Information Society Project,
Free Software Foundation Europe, Franklin Pierce Law School, Electronic
Information for Libraries (eIFL), Electronic Frontier Foundation,
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) and the IP
Academy of Singapore. The coalition will report back at the 2007 IGF in
Rio de Janeiro on its progress.

Details on the workshop and press conference speakers are below.

IGF Workshop on Free Expression and A2k:
=93Harnessing the Power of the Internet to Provide Access to Knowledge &
Free Flow of Information=94: A workshop to explore significant
opportunities and barriers to harnessing the power of the Internet to
provide access to knowledge and encourage freedom of expression and the
free flow of information. In particular, the workshop will focus on the
appropriate balance for intellectual property rights on the Internet and
their impact on free speech and access to knowledge.

Workshop Speakers:
* Susan Struble from IT Standardization and Strategy at Sun Microsystems
will address challenges to technical interoperability and the free flow
of information on the Internet from software patents.

* Dr. Magdy Nagi from Egypt=92s Library of Alexandria (Bibliotheca
Alexandrina) will discuss the needs of online libraries to provide
access to information and encourage development.

* Dirk Voorhoof a Professor at Ghent University and Copenhagen
University, member of Legal Human Academy and expert of the Council of
Europe will discuss international human rights conventions and their
relationship to intellectual property law, access to knowledge, and
freedom of expression.

* Mary Wong, a Professor of Law at Franklin Pierce Law Center and the IP
Academy of Singapore will address special online challenges to freedom
of expression and access to knowledge from =93digital locks=94.

* Cristiano Berbert from the government of Brazil will discuss efforts
in the developing countries to provide access to knowledge and promote
free expression.

* Andrew McLaughlin, Head of Global Public Policy at Google will address
the barriers Google faces in providing access to knowledge from
unbalanced copyright law.

* Robin Gross, Executive Director of IP Justice will Chair the session.

Webpage for workshop:
http://ipjustice.org/wp/campaigns/internet-governance/igf/382/

Workshop Sponsors:
Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility - Peru
Consumer Project on Technology (CPTech)
Egypt=92s Library of Alexandria (Bibliotheca Alexandrina)
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL)
Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE)
Google
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
IP Justice (IPJ)
South Centre Innovation, Access to Knowledge and Intellectual Property
Programme (IAIPP)
Sun Microsystems
Third World Network (TWN)


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************************************************
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org

Consumer Project on Technology
1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA
Tel.:  +1.202.332.2670, Ext 16 Fax: +1.202.332.2673

Consumer Project on Technology
1 Route des  Morillons, CP 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 6727

Consumer Project on Technology
24 Highbury Crescent, London, N5 1RX, UK
Tel: +44(0)207 226 6663 ex 252 Fax: +44(0)207 354 0607