The internet helps enable people worldwide to be creative, develop ideas in conversation, explore new uses of existing content, and make their own. It has opened up pathways for fun uses of copyrighted material generally allowed under law, such as memes and Instagram art, as well as more serious ones, such as news reporting by […]
Read moreEach year on 10 December, Human Rights Day celebrates the adoption of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 74 years ago, as we are reminded that ongoing challenges to freedom of expression mean these rights must be continually defended. From challenges to library collections in regions around the world to geopolitical conflicts, the future […]
Read moreThis 9 – 13 May, I attended the 42nd meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related rights (WIPO SCCR/42 for short). For a week, national delegates, expert panels, and observing civil society organisations (CSOs) like IFLA and rightholder groups discussed the impact of COVID-19; the WIPO African regional group’s proposal for a workplan on limitations and exceptions; broadcast rights; and other odds and ends for some 40+ hours’ worth of meetings, coffee breaks, and side discussions.
Read moreThe COVID-19 pandemic came at a time of already insufficient progress towards development goals. Achieving the UN’s 2030 Agenda has gone from hard to much harder, and with it, the need for ambitious, concerted, innovative effort has grown.
Read moreEven as it has added new complexity to law-making, the COVID-19 pandemic has shone a new light on the way that copyright regimes work, and how well able they are to flex to match an uncertain and changing world. That they need to accommodate digital is clear, but there is still resistance to reproducing the […]
Read moreMaking the most of ‘international days’ and other events for communication and advocacy can be a great way to join the wider conversation, and underlined both the relevance of libraries, and the need for support in order to realise our potential. This post sets out the opportunities open in the first half of 2022, to help with your planning!
Read moren the leadup to COP26, IFLA asked the Standing Committee of the Environment Sustainability and Libraries Section (ENSULIB) to share examples of libraries educating, connecting and empowering their communities to take climate action. This article gives insight into actions of the GreenFUBib group.
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