Category Blog

Open Education and Artificial Scarcity in Hard Times

[Rory Mir] The sudden move to remote education by universities this year has forced the inevitable: the move to an online education. While most universities won’t be fully remote, having course materials online was already becoming the norm before the COVID-19 pandemic, and this year it has become mandatory for millions of educators and students. As academia recovers from this crisis, and hopefully prepares for the next one, the choices we make will send us down one of two paths. We can move towards a future of online education which replicates the artificial scarcity of traditional publishing, or take a path which fosters an abundance of free materials by embracing the principles of open access and open education.

Research Data Alliance COVID-19 Guidelines and Recommendations

[EIFL] The Research Data Alliance (RDA) COVID-19 Working Group has released draft guidelines and recommendations for sharing research data in ways that support scientific research and policy making during public health emergencies. The group is calling for feedback on the draft guidelines. Feedback will inform the Working Group’s discussions and be incorporated into the next version of the guidelines and recommendations. You can post your feedback here. The deadline is 24 May.

Digital Surveillance Can Help Bring the Coronavirus Pandemic Under Control – But Also Threatens Privacy

Israel’s top spy agency has been using secretly collected cellphone data to retrace the movements of those who tested positive for the coronavirus. The Polish government launched the “Home Quarantine” app so that people in quarantine can upload geo-located photos proving they’re at home. The South Korean government is using a combination of mobile phone data, credit card information and facial recognition software to track the movements of people who test positive for COVID-19. The government posts the details publicly to alert people who might have come in contact with the infected person. Public health benefits? Certainly. Privacy risks? Certainly as well.

Costs Cost: Key Considerations when Making Choices about Remuneration for Uses of Copyrighted Works

[IFLA] Modern creative industries have, to a large extent, built themselves on the basis of copyright. Their business models depend on having – or acquiring – rights to sell or use content, which they can then sell in exchange for remuneration. These rights are what lies behind the need to pay for initial access to a work. They are also the reason why, once a library or other user has legitimately bought or licensed a work, they may also need to pay extra in order to make certain uses of it... These payments can represent a source of revenues for creators and publishers. However, they also represent a cost to users.

The PrEP4All Collaboration Hails HHS’ Decision to File a Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Gilead Sciences for their Use of Prep, But More Must Be Done

[PrEP 4 All Collaboration] The decision by Health and Human Services (HHS) to sue Gilead for patent infringement on Truvada and Descovy PrEP is a critical step to provide access to effective HIV prevention to everyone who needs it. Gilead’s conduct is unconscionable and has had disastrous consequences. In the suit, HHS spells this out plainly: “Gilead’s conduct was malicious, wanton, deliberate, consciously wrongful, flagrant, and in bad faith.”

Making Marie Curie: Intellectual Property and Celebrity Culture in an Age of Information

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Professor Eva Hemmungs Wirten QUT Intellectual Property and Innovation Law Research Program Wed, July 10, 20195:30 PM — 7:00 PM AESTLocationThe Gibson Room (Z1064)QUTGardens Point CampusBrisbane, Queensland 4000 Making Marie Curie: Intellectual Property…

Tobacco Control in the Asia-Pacific

QUT IP and Innovation Law Research Program, 19 September 2019 QUT Faculty of Law Intellectual Property and Innovation Law Research Program Thursday, 19 September 2019 5:30pm to 7:30pm Z1064, Gibson Room, Level 10, Z Block QUT Gardens Point Campus OVERVIEW…