[Ip-health] Launch of the African Copyright and Access to Knowledge Network (ACA2K)

[Kawooya, Dick]

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25 April 2008

Media Release





Copyright & Education in Africa: Launch of the ACA2K Network



As the global community marks World Intellectual Property Day 2008 (26 Apri=
l), an eight-country African research network is being launched with a mand=
ate to investigate the relationship between copyright and education in Afri=
can countries.



The network, called the African Copyright & Access to Knowledge network (AC=
A2K network),  is a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from Egypt, Ghan=
a, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda, supported =
by a team of international advisors.



Between now and early 2010, the ACA2K team will gather research evidence, a=
nd engage with policymakers, in an effort to ensure maximum use of copyrigh=
t law flexibilities that have the potential to increase learning materials =
access in the study countries. Access to both digital and hard-copy resourc=
es will be probed.



The ACA2K network comes out of the access to knowledge (A2K) paradigm withi=
n the intellectual property field - a paradigm which regards the protection=
 and promotion of user access as a central objective of copyright law. The =
A2K approach seeks an appropriate balance between the rights of content use=
rs and the rights of the content rights-holders, with particular attention =
to the types of balancing necessary in developing country contexts. Element=
s of this approach connect with the World Intellectual Property Day focus o=
n "encouraging creativity," from a clear developing world perspective.



The eight initial study countries have been chosen to provide a wide range =
of African contexts, in terms of legal, linguistic, cultural and historical=
 experiences/traditions.



The ACA2K network also has a clear focus on the opportunities and challenge=
s offered by the digital, Internet era - in which there are greater opportu=
nities for learning materials access, but also new technological, legal and=
 behavioural barriers.



Over the next two years, ACA2K researchers in each of the eight study count=
ries will investigate the "copyright environment" (policies, laws, regulati=
ons, practices, perceptions) in their respective countries in relation to a=
ccess to learning materials by their countries' learning communities, with =
a particular emphasis on tertiary university learning environments.



Of central concern to the network is to find out which copyright law flexib=
ilities are being deployed in each of the study countries, and the effects =
these flexibilities have in these countries. Examples of important possible=
 flexibilities are legal exceptions, limitations and regulations that cater=
 for:

*=09use of learning materials in teaching, research, learning
*=09distance education
*=09adaptation and use of learning materials by the sensory-disabled
*=09local-language translations of learning materials
*=09affordable local pricing of materials



Also of concern to the network are the gender dynamics at play in the natio=
nal copyright environments and at play in the realities of access to learni=
ng materials, both digital and hard-copy.



After the completion of the country studies, there will then be a comparati=
ve review of the findings across all of the countries, and presentation of =
research findings and policy recommendations through a National Policy Dial=
ogue Seminar in each country.



The ACA2K network is supported by Canada's International Development Resear=
ch Centre (IDRC) and South Africa's Shuttleworth Foundation, and managed th=
rough the LINK Centre, Wits University, Johannesburg.



The network held a Methodology Workshop in Johannesburg in January 2008, an=
d has just finalised a Methodology Guide. The Guide is the roadmap for the =
project's research and policy engagement activities between now and early 2=
010.



The ACA2K Methodology Guide and other information on the project can be fou=
nd at the ACA2K's website: www.aca2k.org <http://www.aca2k.org/> .







For additional information and scheduling of interviews, please contact any=
 of the following:



ACA2K Lead Researcher: Dick Kawooya

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States

dkawooya@gmail.com, Tel: +1-414-229- 3627



ACA2K Research Manager: Chris Armstrong

LINK Centre, Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa

c.g.armstrong@gmail.com, Tel: +27-11-717-3548



IDRC: Khaled Fourati (for French-language information)

Project Officer, Acacia Africa Programme, IDRC Ottawa, Canada

kfourati@idrc.ca, Tel: +1-613-236-6163, ext. 2424



Shuttleworth Foundation: Karien Bezuidenhout

Portfolio Manager, Intellectual Property Rights Portfolio

Shuttleworth Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa

karien@shuttleworthfoundation.org <mailto:karien@shuttleworthfoundation.org=
> , Tel : +27-21-970-1234