Advocating for a world where intellectual
property law serves the public interest.

The Impact of Copyright Exceptions for Researchers on Scholarly Output

Abstract: High prices restrict access to academic journals and books that scholars rely upon to author new research. One possible solution is the expansion of copyright exceptions allowing unauthorized access to copyrighted works for researchers. I test the link between copyright exceptions for health and science researchers and their publishing output at the country-subject level. I find that scientists residing

New User Rights Data: Ranking Openness in 21 Countries

I had the honor of presenting the latest updates to our User Rights Database at the 18th annual Congress of the Society for Economic Research on Copyright Issues. I include here some new analysis of our data released for the first time at SERCI, ranking the countries in our study and categorizing them based on whether they have a civil

WIPO Accused of Bias Toward Copyright Holders in Regional Meetings

The World Intellectual Property Organization, a United Nations agency, has come under fire from a range of regional and global groups representing key public interest components of the copyright system for unfairly catering to rights holder interests in an ongoing series of regional meetings, resulting in sharply biased outcomes of the meetings. The groups say they were excluded from participating

Patents, Trade and Medicines: Past, Present and Future

[Kenneth Shadlen, Bhaven Sampat and Amy Kapczynski] Abstract ... We draw attention to the conceptual and methodological challenges of assessing the effects of patent provisions in trade agreements on prices and access to drugs, with particular emphasis on the importance of timing. Depending on when countries began allowing drugs to be patented, TRIPS-Plus provisions have different effects; and when pharmaceutical

Official UNESCO Recommendation on Open Educational Resources Moves One Step Further

[Education International] Education International welcomes UNESCO global commitment to advancing access to works for teaching and learning through expanding access to quality and locally relevant open educational resources.

Time for Copyright Laws in Africa to Change

[Electronic Information for Libraries] On 12-13 June 2019, heads of copyright offices from more than 40 African states met in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss copyright limitations and exceptions for libraries, archives, and education in the African region... The clear consensus that emerged from the two-day seminar was a recognition that copyright exceptions in Africa are wholly inadequate, especially for online