Scientific information for equitable knowledge societies

Axel Plathe UNESCO ETD 2003 Next Steps - Electronic Theses and Dissertations Worldwide Berlin, Germany, 21 May 2003 1

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"Information society" or “knowledge societies"?

Developing public domain content Balancing rights-holders’ and users’ interests Preserving digital heritage UNESCO and ETDs

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UNESCO’s mandate

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To ensure "free flow of ideas and images" To "maintain, increase and diffuse knowledge"

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"Information society" or “knowledge societies"? - Background

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ICTs:

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New means for achieving progress

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Facilitation of moving and handling data

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But: human creativity for generating and validating information and knowledge Issues at stake for scientific information:

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Access to infrastructure

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Access to scientific and development data and information

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Intellectual property rights Technical feasibility vs. erosion of access to certain information and knowledge 4

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"Information society" or “knowledge societies"? – Concepts "Information Society"

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Technological innovation

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Omnipresent influence of computer based networks Globalization of information, communication, technologies

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Collecting, copying, storing, transmitting, incorporating, manipulating, simulating, and managing information „Knowledge societies“

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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

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Persistence of "techno-apartheid" Challenge for developing countries Includes divide in access to

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scientific and technological information learning opportunities 6

"Information society" or “knowledge societies"? – Frameworks

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Shared principles translated into national policies and international framework Balanced and consistent international standards , e.g.:

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WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT)

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WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) UNESCO “ Recommendation concerning the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace ”

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Promote access to information and knowledge for sciences and education Respect conformity with international conventions on intellectual property 7

Developing public domain content – Definition

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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

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Public domain information not sufficiently well-known Growing restrictions on availability and use 8

Developing public domain content – Promotion

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UNESCO encourages Member States to

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recognize and enact the right of universal online access to public and government held records

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identify and promote repositories of information and knowledge in the public domain

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make public domain information available to all “ Policy Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Public Domain Information ” 9

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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 non commercial use (MIT OpenCourseWare project) Some publishers provide production under preferential conditions for developing countries (UNESCO developing model frameworks) WHO Health InterNetwork 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 (eJDS) Alexandria Library 10

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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”

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To provide for exceptional free reproduction of copyrighted information To address special usages: Education, research, library services, disabled persons

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To be authorized in national legislation limiting the risk to interests of rights-holders

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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

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Balancing rights-holders’ and users’ interests – Promotion Importance of

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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

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Focus on exploitation of cultural works for teaching, scientific research, libraries, etc.

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UNESCO

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To compare he relevant provisions in existing national legislation with actual needs

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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

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Preserving digital heritage – Definitions

Digital materials :

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Increasing number of resources of knowledge only in digital form

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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.

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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 :

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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

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

UNESCO and ETDs

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Promoting the use of the Internet as a tool for disseminating scientific knowledge Facilitating the transfer of ETD expertise from developed to developing countries

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1998 : Member of the NDLTD Steering Committee 1999 : First UNESCO ETD meeting on ETD internationalisation

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2002 : “UNESCO Guide to Electronic Theses and Dissertations”

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2003 : Model training programmes and training courses 2003 : Sponsor pilot projects 2003 : Pilot projects (Africa, Europe, Latin-America) 15