PIJIP WEBINAR – Olufunmilayo Arewa: Copyright, Curation, and Representation: Zora Neale Hurston, John Lomax, and Visions of Black Culture
[Webinar March 12 | 10:00am EST | 15:00pm UTC] Professor Arewa will present a chapter from her forthcoming book, Creating Global Markets for Black Music: Curation, Music and Law. Folklorist John Lomax was a powerful curator of African American culture who illustrates the interaction of curation and copyright. Lomax viewed African American culture in part as a vehicle for exploitation and personal profit. His copyright dispute with Huddie Ledbetter (Lead Belly), evidences exploitative uses of African American culture. Lomax’s views of black culture were rooted in a museum-like approach, which was not atypical for a folklorist of his era, that sought to collect, profit from, and preserve “authentic” vanishing cultural forms. In contrast, folklorist and writer Zora Neale Hurston had a conception of African American culture that reflected an understanding of culture as a living and dynamic force. The competing visions of Lomax and Hurston have implications outside of the cultural sphere. Click here for more info, and to register.
The TRIPS Waiver Proposal: An Urgent Measure to Expand Access to the COVID-19 Vaccines
[Henrique Zeferino de Menezes] Despite multilateral commitments and political statements of solidarity and cooperation to guarantee the availability and access to COVID-19 vaccines (and other relevant technologies for control and treatment), the scenario after the beginning of vaccination is marked by the deepening of vaccine nationalism, the concentration of inputs and vaccines production, and the uneven distribution of options of vaccine doses already approved for use. This pattern of production restrictions and unequal access will lead to an increase in international inequalities, leaving a large part of the world to have access to vaccines not until 2024. Click here for more.
See also: D. Ravi Kanth for the Third World Network. South Countries Demand Text-Based Negotiations on TRIPS Waiver. Link.
Update on Publisher’s Copyright Infringement Suit Against Sci-Hub and LibGen in India
[Anubha Sinha] This blog post is an update on the copyright infringement suit filed against Sci-Hub and LibGen in the Delhi High Court by Elsevier Ltd, Wiley India, and American Chemical Society… Indian science and academia realise that their right to research is at stake. In January, several Indian scientists and advocacy organisations applied to intervene in the case, to persuade the court to not issue an interim or permanent injunction for dynamic blocking of the websites. Click here for more.
Need for Extension of the LDC Transition Period Under Article 66.1 of the TRIPS Agreement Until Graduation and Beyond
[Nirmalya Syam] Least developed country (LDC) Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have submitted a duly motivated request for the extension of the transition period under Article 66.1 of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which exempts LDCs from implementing the obligations for protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights under the Agreement, in view of their vulnerabilities, special needs, economic, administrative and financial constraints, and the need for a sound and viable technological base. This request, submitted prior to the expiry of the current transition period on 1 July 2021, seeks a further extension for as long as those Members remain LDCs, and also for an additional period of 12 years after their graduation. Click here for more.
Yes, Export Bans on Vaccines Are a Problem, But Why Is the Supply of Vaccines So Limited In the First Place?
[Deborah Gleeson] …Much of the reporting on vaccine nationalism tends to focus on the hoarding of vaccines by particular countries. But we should question why the supply of vaccines is so limited in the first place. This comes down to privately held monopolies on the intellectual property and other types of knowledge, data and information needed for making vaccines. While there is manufacturing capacity available globally to ramp up vaccine production, the exclusive rights to make and sell the vaccines are held by a small number of companies. This is despite a huge investment of public funding in the development of many vaccines. Click here for more.
Libraries and Open Data in 2021: Access, Skills, Engagement
[International Federation of Library Associations] 6 March 2021 marks the annual Open Data Day. This international celebration brings together a wide range of stakeholders – from librarians and public servants to developers and statisticians – to showcase creative uses and benefits of open data to drive development and help address today’s societal challenges. Click here for more.
