"Underperformance of the Arabic book translation industry is attributable to (among other factors) severe coordination failures. This is a state of affairs in which the inability of the different agents (translators, book publishers, suppliers, customers, and supporting organizations, state, and so
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forth) to coordinate their behavior (choices) leads to suboptimal outcomes. Since the economic performance of the translation industry often involves complementary investments whose return depends on other investments being made by other agents, coordination is crucial. Obviously, neither market forces nor the state have undertaken this coordination activity sufficiently. The Arabic book translation industry seems to suffer from both market failure and government failure. In light of these results the Arabic book translation industry offers great economic potential that should be mobilized systematically in the future. This paper discusses how this can be achieved, based on a well-designed and implemented process of upgrading and innovation in companies, industries, and clusters related to translation activities. Public policy, properly understood and adequately implemented, can play an important role in this process." (Summary, page 1)
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"China's Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection system is a hot topic on many international agendas. What is the current debate and what is the situation in China today? In a first step this analysis summarizes the status quo of IPR in China and current trends in the debate about it." (GIZ Li
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brary Bonn)
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"This unique dossier was assembled by the activist Copy South Research Group, a loosely-affiliated group of researchers based in a number of countries across the South and the North who seek to research the inner workings of the global copyright system and its effects on the Global South. The dossie
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r contains more than 50 articles examining many dimensions of the issue of copyright across the Global South, such as access, culture, economics, libraries, education, software, the Internet, the public domain, and resistance. The dossier is addressed to readers who want to learn more about the global role of copyright and, in particular, its sometimes negative role in the Global South. The articles critically analyze and assess a wide range of copyright-related issues that impact on the daily lives, and future lives, of those who live in the countries of the South. It aims to do so in a manner which the editors hope will bring these questions ‘alive’, show the direct human stakes of the many debates, “and make the issues accessible to those who want to go beyond the platitudes, half-truths, and serious distortions that often plague discussions of this topic." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1815)
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"The first section in this paper examines the barriers to access to learning materials faced in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), analyzing the responsibility of intellectual property legislation within the complex structure of systems that are consequential to consumers and learners. In th
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e second section the authors remind us that the informal economy in knowledge goods is an access mechanism, prompting a conceptual consideration of the phenomenon of piracy, and then, through a case study in Uganda, they suggest possible policy lessons. The third section frames the environment described in the first two sections in a survey of intellectual property law in SACU member countries, and audits the limitations or exceptions available within the law, in the light of those that may be made use of, as a consequence of access to learning materials. The authors conclude that currently “neither does copyright legislation in SACU countries make significantly positive provisions for access to learning materials, nor does it take full advantage of the flexibilities provided by TRIPs. Ironically, it is precisely in this disabling legal environment that the SACU countries are being asked – by domestic and international publishing industry lobbies – to strengthen the enforcement of criminal sanctions for certain copyright violations, even as they constitute an access mechanism in a context that offers few alternatives." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1802)
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"This report on copyright in the print industries sector was commissioned by the (South African) Department of Arts and Culture, through the Print Industries Cluster Council as part of a broader initiative to identify policy and development needs in the cultural industries. The report deals in parti
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cular with copyright as an aspect of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and the impact of these rights on growth and development in the print industries sector. It surveys the state of copyright as it relates to the written word and identifies ways in which copyright laws and practices in South Africa are aiding or inhibiting growth. Finally, it sets out a range of recommendations for further action that could contribute towards growth and development in the book and print industries sector." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1768)
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"The important balance between access to copyrighted works and protection for authors is vital for developing countries and LDCs. Despite provisions for limitations and exceptions to the rights granted to authors/ owners of protected works, the WIPO treaties represent minimum standards from which co
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untries can deviate only by providing greater rights than required as the United States has done under the DMCA. The maximalist approach to interpreting the available scope of permissible limitations and exceptions is reinforced by the similarities between TRIPS Article 13, and Articles 10 and 16 of the WCT and WPPT. The similarities suggest that it is not improbable that interpretations of the Internet treaties can be influenced by the ideology of the TRIPS Agreement. Consequently, public welfare interests will require explicit limitations and exceptions that at a minimum facilitate access and use of digital works for study, research, and educational purposes." (Executive summary, page 2)
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"Lawrence Lessig shows us that while new technologies always lead to new laws, never before have the big cultural monopolists used the fear created by new technologies, specifically the Internet, to shrink the public domain of ideas, even as the same corporations use the same technologies to control
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more and more what we can and can do with culture. As more and more culture becomes digitized, more and more becomes controllable, even as laws are being toughened at the behest of the big media groups. Whats at stake is our freedom freedom to create, freedom to build, and ultimately, freedom to imagine." (Publisher description)
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"A comprehensive review of the new Kenya 2001 Copyright Act, which was passed by the Kenyan Parliament, after several rounds of consultations between the government and the different stakeholders and industry players. It came into force in February 2003 and repealed the 1966 Copyright Act. The most
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distinctive new features of the new Copyright Act include the introduction of an anti-piracy security device; the registration and supervision of collective management societies in Kenya; the appointment of public prosecutors and inspectors who deal with copyright cases and help the enforcement of the rights protected under the Act; the provision of enhanced criminal sanctions; and the protection of rights management systems and technological protection measures. The author welcomes the 2001 Copyright Act as a step in the right direction, yet “the success of the new law can only be seen if it is effectively enforced; a good law without the proper enforcement is of no use to those it seeks to protect. Along with the new law, Kenya needs to have strong mechanisms to fight piracy, a well educated population on matters of copyright and related rights, strong and efficient collective management societies, and a functional administrative infrastructure." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1797)
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"Un guide introductif utile sur les droits des auteurs (et ceux de l'industrie musicale) et les principaux aspects de la législation sur le droit d'auteur en Afrique. L'auteur fournit une analyse comparative des aspects théoriques et pratiques du sujet, traite de la question de la rémunération e
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t offre une synthèse d'un point de vue africain. Il inclut une analyse de l'annexe VII de l'Accord de Bangui - de l'Organisation africaine de la propriété intellectuelle (OAPI) - dans le contexte des conventions internationales sur le droit d'auteur." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1787)
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"The Guide contains information and recommendations for research teams and copyright professionals embarking on the stimulating and challenging study of the contribution of the copyright-based industries to the national economy. This publication is intended as a practical tool to facilitate national
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and regional surveys. The Guide lays out the thrust of the main legal, economic and statistical concepts, relevant to the survey. While general in its basic approach, it contains some indispensable technical detail. The Guide will be tested in specific surveys and will be further refined in accordance with the results obtained." (Preface)
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"Too often the interests of the “producer” dominate in the evolution of IP policy, and that of the ultimate consumer is neither heard nor heeded. So policy tends to be determined more by the interests of the commercial users of the system, than by an impartial conception of the greater public go
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od. In IPR discussions between developed and developing countries, a similar imbalance exists. The trade ministries of developed nations are mainly influenced by producer interests who see the benefit to them of stronger IP protection in their export markets, while the consumer nations, mainly the developing countries, are less able to identify and represent their own interests against those of the developed nations. Thus we recognise that the rules and practices of intellectual property, and how they evolve, are the product of political economy. Developing countries - and in particular poor consumers of products which may be protected by IP rights - negotiate from a position of relative weakness. There is a fundamental asymmetry in relationships between developed and developing countries, based ultimately on their relative economic strength.
The negotiations on TRIPS in the Uruguay Round are but one example. Developing countries accepted TRIPS not because at the time the adoption of intellectual property protection was high on their list of priorities, but partly because they thought the overall package offered, including the reduction of trade protectionism in developed countries, would be beneficial. Now many of them feel that the commitments made by developed countries to liberalise agriculture and textiles and reduce tariffs, have not been honoured, while they have to live with the burdens of the TRIPS agreement. The agreement on a new “development” WTO Round at Doha last year recognises that this bargain, between developed and developing countries, needs to be made explicit and meaningful. The difficulty for developing countries in this context is that they are “second comers” in a world that has been shaped by the “first comers”. And because of that, it is a very different world from that in which the “first comers” developed. It is a cliché to say that we live in an age of globalisation, when the world economy is becoming more integrated. It is an article of faith in the international community that integration on appropriate terms into the world economy is a necessary condition for development. The question from our point of view is what are the appropriate terms for that integration in the field of IPRs. Just as the now-developed countries moulded their IP regimes to suit their particular economic, social and technological circumstances, so developing countries should in principle now be able to do the same." (Overview, page 7-8)
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