Presenting ‘Copy Culture in the US and Germany’
[Joe Karaganis] Copy Culture in the US and Germany is a comparative study of digital culture, focusing on media consumption, media acquisition, and attitudes toward copyright enforcement. The study is based on a large-scale phone survey of Americans and Germans in late 2011. Click here for more.
EIFL starts an OA project in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda
[Posting in the Electronic Information for Libraries Newsletter] “Open access: knowledge sharing and sustainable scholarly communication in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda” is a new EIFL regional project funded by Spider, the Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions DSV, Department of Computer and System Sciences, Stockholm University. The aim of the project is to raise visibility and accessibility of research outputs in three countries. It builds on previous work of EIFL in the region and combines awareness raising, policy work and practical training to promote, support and establish open access (OA) journals and OA repositories at institutions of higher learning.” Click here for more.
India Hears Appeal of Compulsory License for Cancer Drug Sorafenib
[Mike Palmedo] India’s Intellectual Property Appellate Board is hearing Bayer’s appeal to the government’s compulsory license for patents on the drug Sorafenib (sold under the brand name Nexavar by Bayer). This medicine is used to treat kidney and liver cancer. The branded drug costs 2,800,000 rupees (USD 5,214) per patient per month and the generic costs 8,880 rupees (USD 165) per patient per month. The compulsory license was issued under Section 84 of the Patents Act, on the grounds that the invention was “not available to the public at a reasonably affordable price,” and therefore not reasonably worked in India. Click here for more.
Money from Music: Survey Evidence on Musicians’ Revenue and Lessons About Copyright Incentives
[Paper by Peter C. DiCola] Excerpt from abstract: “This article is based on an original survey of over 5,000 musicians nationwide. The survey results demonstrate the diversity of the population of musicians, in terms of genre, income bracket, demographics, education, and many other variables. In this article I focus on how the mix of revenue sources varies across musicians, especially by genre and income bracket. I then categorize the different revenue sources in terms of their relationship to copyright law.” Click here for more.
USTR Working to Develop New Text on IP and Health in the TPP
Inside U.S. Trade reports that USTR has begun an “internal review of the controversial pharmaceutical patent proposal” it tabled earlier in the TPP negotiations. However, USTR has also signaled new text will not be ready by the next round of negotiations in Singapore in March. Click here for more.
“Comité des Sages” Calls for a “New Renaissance” by Bringing Europe’s Cultural Heritage Online
[EU Press Release] The report of the Comité des Sages (high-level reflection group) on Digitisation of Europe’s cultural heritage was delivered today to Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, and Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner responsible for Education and Culture. The report urges EU Member States to step up their efforts to put online the collections held in all their libraries, archives and museums. It stresses the benefits of making Europe’s culture and knowledge more easily accessible. It also points to the potential economic benefits of digitisation, including through public-private partnerships, for the development of innovative services in sectors like tourism, research and education. Click here for more.
