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 To coincide with "World Intellectual Property Day" tomorrow, 26 April 2008, an eight-country African research network is being launched with a mandate to investigate the relationship between copyright and education in African countries. Here's the media release. I'm extremely fortunate to be a part of the African Copyright and Access to Knowledge (ACA2K) team. Over the course of the initial 3-year project I am working with a team of multi-disciplinary researchers from Africa and beyond to develop and implement a rigorous, objective research methodology, and to compile, analyze and report on research findings.
Last January we met in Johannesburg to discuss our objectives and plan our research activities. Between now and 2010 groups of researchers in Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa will explore how each country's copyright environment affects access to hard-copy and digital learning materials. They will carry out a thorough assessment of copyright legislation and cases to determine the potential impact of copyright law. Simultaneously, researchers will conduct interviews with officials from government departments, educational institutions, rights-holders groups and more, in order to learn how copyright law actually affects peoples' everyday practices.
Next, research results will be compared across countries so that we can determine how copyright laws, policies and practices impact education in different legal, cultural, linguistic and political systems. The comparative analysis will also be used to develop best practices for lawmakers and educators alike.
In other words, the research will begin to provide a much-needed basis for evidence-based policy making when it comes to copyright and education. With it we can craft better, more effective strategies for influencing changes in laws and in people's behaviour. Ultimately, of course, our goal is to improve access to learning materials, and hence the educational experience and quality of life for people in Africa.
The research methodology is designed to be scalable, meaning a similar study could be carried out in any country or region of the world. It is our hope that this will happen. Therefore, we've made our detailed methodology guide available in both French and English.
The IDRC and Shuttleworth Foundation deserve recognition for funding this innovative and important research. No doubt it will be of tremendous benefit to policymakers in Africa and elsewhere. The project has already been and will continue to be an incredibly enriching experience for me personally and professionally. I'll be sure to report here on our progress and findings as available.
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