Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 14, 2006|Volume 34, Number 26

Event will examine how to
preserve access to knowledge

A conference exploring the future of access to knowledge in the digital era will take place Friday-Sunday, April 21-23, at the Yale Law School, 127 Wall St.

Titled "A2K" (Access to Knowledge), the event is sponsored by the Law School's Information Society Project, led by Jack Balkin, the Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment, and law professor Yochai Benkler.

In their description of the conference, the organizers say that "[i]n the digital era, most multinational corporations and policymakers are of the view that the current trend characterized by increasing intellectual property rights and corporate control over knowledge best serve society's interests. At the same time, however, a growing number of commentators believe that widespread access to knowledge and the preservation of a healthy knowledge commons are the real basis for sustainable human development."

The conference, they add, "aims to help build an intellectual framework that will protect access to knowledge both as the basis for sustainable human development and to safeguard human rights."

The event will draw international policymakers, activists, industry leaders and academics from more than 30 countries to participate in panel discussions examining such topics as "The Economics of A2K," "Network Neutrality in the Developing World," "Digital Rights Management and Globalization" and "Access to Medicine." Other topics on the agenda include access to knowledge as it relates to intellectual property, telecommunications, the role of libraries, peer production and education, scientific knowledge, and agriculture and genetically modified foods.

Panelists from Yale include Mark Gerstein, the Albert L. Williams Professor of Biomedical Informatics in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and Computer Science; Law School fellow Amy Kapczynski; and associate University librarian Anne Okerson. Other panelists are affiliated with the Digital Divide Network, the Third World Network, the Nigerian Copyright Commission, TakingITGlobal, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Pew Internet and American Project, Free Software Foundation Europe and other organizations.

The conference is open to the public. There is a registration fee. To register or for a complete schedule, visit http://islandia.law.yale.edu/isp/a2kconfmain.html. Members of the media are welcome to attend free of charge, but pre-registration is requested.

"A2K" is made possible with support from the MacArthur and Ford foundations, the Open Society Institute and the Social Science Research Council.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

It's Official. President of China to speak April 21

As HHMI Professor, Strobel will take students 'bioprospecting'

Scientists find gene linked to drug dependence

Program puts FOCUS on communication

Joan Steitz, Thomas Pollard win prestigious international prize spirit

Renowned poet W.S. Merwin to read from and discuss his work

A heroine's determination prevails in 'All's Well That Ends Well'

Event will examine how to preserve access to knowledge

Performances and workshops will explore 'theatrical bodies' . . .

Symposium on human rights will focus on memorializing atrocities

Talk, exhibit explore lessons learned from past flu outbreaks

SOM conference will examine globalization and technology

India's road to independence is topic of film, panel discussion

Dwight Hall fundraiser to include inaugural social justice award

Symposium to look at 'Success with Learning Differences'

Impact of bird-borne infections on wildlife conservation is topic of forum

Panel discussion will focus on 'Class, Race and Inequality in South Africa'

Trainer describes biker Lance Armstrong's winning ways

Tsunami Awareness Week raised funds and refocused humanitarian efforts

Campus Notes

Wangari Maathai lecture cancelled