Speaker Details

First Name:	Philippe
Last Name:	Aigrain
Abstract:	"The need for a positive recognition of commons-based research and innovation in international norms" Aigrain, Founder and CEO, Sopinspace, Society for Public Information Spaces In recent years, a powerful trend has developed internationally of creating voluntarily knowledge that can be freely exchanged and used. This was in part a reaction against the extension of restrictive property-like rights. But it was also built up as a natural possibility in the information era where knowledge, creations can easily be represented in information, and can be created, processed and exchanged using information and communication technology. Those willing to give this status of commons to information and knowledge artefacts had to simulate it using contractual arrangements or permission notices. Those who wanted to use copyrighted works or patented matter had to recourse to exceptions and limitations. Remarkable achievements have been done under these licensing and exceptions/limitations mechanisms from free software to open science, from freely accessible publications to publicly accessible libraries. However, generalising these achievements to other fields, and making them possible in different areas of the world would be greatly facilitated if a direct recognition of the "voluntary commons" were included in international norms. This recognition would affirm that knowledge, information and all types of information tools that are given a commons status are a common wealth of humanity and a great asset for the future advancement of knowledge. To these commons the public in all countries has positive rights of contribution and usage, users have responsibilities, and norms have duties (for instance any extension of IP titles or change in execution mechanisms must be assessed taking in account their effects on the commons before they can be enacted). The talk will refer to precedents in international norms that can be used to build this recognition. It will outline the concrete possible benefits for developing countries of such a recognition, which will not only progressively occur, but should be a shared perspective along the path.
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