ISP To Host A2K3 Conference September 8-10 in Geneva

The Information Society Project (ISP) at Yale Law School will host the third Access to Knowledge Conference (A2K3) September 8-10, 2008, in Geneva, Switzerland. It will be held at the Geneva International Conference Centre and will bring together hundreds of decision-makers and experts on global knowledge to discuss the urgent need for policy reforms.

“Opening up access to knowledge is a demand of global justice; it is both a human rights issue and a crucial factor in spurring economic development and technological innovation,” said Yale Law School Professor Jack Balkin, founder and director of the ISP.

The ISP is collaborating on the conference with an international team of partners representing academia, civil society, industry, and government.

“The A2K community has grown exponentially in the last three years, and it is time to move this perspective to the mainstream of international policy-making,” said Lea Shaver, ISP’s Access to Knowledge Program Director. “The A2K3 will address crucial topics related to global knowledge policy, including innovation systems, digital education, Internet governance, climate change, public health, and human rights.”

This year’s A2K conference coincides with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) annual assemblies, being held in Geneva later that month.

“The location and timing of A2K3 were strategically chosen, and we hope to influence the discussions at the WIPO and other forums,” acknowledged Sisule Musungu, ISP Senior Fellow and the conference organizer.

At the conference, the ISP plans to launch the A2K Global Academy, a new network of academic centers dedicated to research, education, and policy advice promoting access to knowledge. The Global Academy already counts as partners Brazil, China, Egypt, South Africa, and the United States but intends to expand to include more academic centers.

The A2K3 conference is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required and will be available at http://isp.yale.edu/. For further information email a2k3@pantheon.yale.edu.

The first Access to Knowledge conference was convened in 2006 to explore knowledge policy reform and to promote innovation, economic growth, and international development.  The ISP at Yale Law School was founded in 1997 by Professor Jack Balkin to study the impact of the Internet and new information technologies on law and society.