Copyright and Access to Knowledge

This groundbreaking study, supported by OSI together with IDRC, examines the copyright laws of 11 developing countries, revealing that public access to knowledge is being curtailed more than is necessary.

Copyright and Access to Knowledge discloses that Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Thailand have all expanded the scope of copyright protection—that is, the works to be protected and the rights accorded to copyright owners—beyond what is required by the international copyright treaties they have acceded to. In addition, they have not incorporated all the available limitations and exceptions that would have opened up access to knowledge.

More insidious, however, is the legislative advice being provided by multilateral agencies such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). WIPO's advice to developing countries contained in its Draft Laws on Copyright and Related Rights does not take full advantage of all the flexibilities available under the various international copyright treaties.