Scientific information for equitable knowledge societies Axel Plathe

Scientific information for equitable knowledge societies Axel Plathe UNESCO ETD 2003 Next Steps - Electronic Theses and Dissertations Worldwide Berlin, Germany, 21 May 2003 1

Content of presentation: A. B. C. D. E. "Information society" or “knowledge societies"? Developing public domain content Balancing rights-holders’ and users’ interests Preserving digital heritage UNESCO and ETDs 2

UNESCO’s mandate § To ensure "free flow of ideas and images" § To "maintain, increase and diffuse knowledge" 3

"Information society" or “knowledge societies"? - Background § ICTs: > New means for achieving progress > Facilitation of moving and handling data > But: human creativity for generating and validating information and knowledge § Issues at stake for scientific information: > Access to infrastructure > Access to scientific and development data and information > Intellectual property rights > Technical feasibility vs. erosion of access to certain information and knowledge 4

"Information society" or “knowledge societies"? – Concepts § "Information Society" > > Technological innovation Omnipresent influence of computer based networks Globalization of information, communication, technologies Collecting, copying, storing, transmitting, incorporating, manipulating, simulating, and managing information § „Knowledge societies“ > Knowledge work of researchers, experts, analysts and users > Using theories, models, scenarios, decision strategies, etc. > Establishing orientation and certainty. > Giving a dimension of socio-economic, political transformation > Providing pluralistic and developmental perspective > Fostering intellectual cooperation, lifelong learning, values > Making sense of information 5

"Information society" or “knowledge societies"? – Divide § Persistence of "techno-apartheid" § Challenge for developing countries § Includes divide in access to > scientific and technological information > learning opportunities 6

"Information society" or “knowledge societies"? – Frameworks § Shared principles translated into national policies and international framework § Balanced and consistent international standards, e. g. : > WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) > WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) § UNESCO “Recommendation concerning the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace” > Promote access to information and knowledge for sciences and education > Respect conformity with international conventions on intellectual property 7

Developing public domain content – Definition § Publicly accessible information § Works or objects of related rights which can be exploited by everybody without any authorization § Not only classical literature, but also public data and official information § Use should not infringe any legal right, or any obligation of confidentiality § Forms an international virtual public library § Provides support for productive, commercial and creative sector activities § Public domain information not sufficiently well-known § Growing restrictions on availability and use 8

Developing public domain content – Promotion § UNESCO encourages Member States to > recognize and enact the right of universal online access to public and government held records > identify and promote repositories of information and knowledge in the public domain > make public domain information available to all § “Policy Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Public Domain Information” 9

Developing public domain content – §Examples Open source software license § Documentation produced by the UN and its specialized agencies § Educational resources provided free of charge for noncommercial use (MIT Open. Course. Ware project) § Some publishers provide production under preferential conditions for developing countries (UNESCO developing model frameworks) § WHO Health Inter. Network Access to Research Initiative (HINARI) § International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP): PERI initiative § Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (Trieste, Italy) Electronic-Journals Delivery System (e. JDS) § Alexandria Library 10

Balancing rights-holders’ and users’ interests – Definition § Fair balance of interests in the use of copyrighted works in the digital environment § Also called “fair use”, “fair dealing” or “limitations and exceptions authorized by the law” > To provide for exceptional free reproduction of copyrighted information > To address special usages: Education, research, library services, disabled persons > To be authorized in national legislation limiting the risk to interests of rights-holders > To be applied only in certain special cases > No conflict with normal exploitation of the work > No prejudice to legitimate interests of rights-holders > To create the public library of the digital world 11

Balancing rights-holders’ and users’ interests – Promotion § Importance of > Equitable use provisions in national policies in education, the sciences and culture, particularly for the developing countries > Fair balance between rights-holders’ and user interests > Focus on exploitation of cultural works for teaching, scientific research, libraries, etc. § UNESCO > To compare he relevant provisions in existing national legislation with actual needs > To establish a consensus building process how to address gaps > To pay full respect to provisions in WIPO and WTO treaties > To avoid undermining copyright protection 12

Preserving digital heritage – Definitions § Digital materials: > Increasing number of resources of knowledge only in digital form > Include texts, databases, still & mowing images, audio, graphics, software, web pages > Exist in any language, in any part of the world, and in any area of human knowledge or expression. > Part of the wider continuum of digital information > Constitute a heritage that should be protected and preserved > Needs protection throughout the information’s life cycle § Preservation in order to ensure access that is: > Permanent > Equitable and free of unreasonable restrictions > Secure (protection of sensitive and personal information) > A guarantee for authentic and stable digital objects 13

Preserving digital heritage – Measures § Need for establish international consensus on preserving digital heritage § Need to prepare national policies § "Charter for the Preservation of Digital Heritage” Focusing on advocacy and public policy issues § "Guidelines for the Preservation of Digital Heritage“ Covering technical and practical issues 14

UNESCO and ETDs § Promoting the use of the Internet as a tool for disseminating scientific knowledge § Facilitating the transfer of ETD expertise from developed to developing countries § 1998: Member of the NDLTD Steering Committee § 1999: First UNESCO ETD meeting on ETD internationalisation § 2002: “UNESCO Guide to Electronic Theses and Dissertations” § 2003: Model training programmes and training courses § 2003: Sponsor pilot projects § 2003: Pilot projects (Africa, Europe, Latin-America) 15