Yale ISP To Host A2K4 Conference on Access to Knowledge and Human Rights February 11-13

The Information Society Project (ISP) at Yale Law School will host its fourth Access to Knowledge Conference (A2K4) Thursday, February 11, through Saturday, February 13, 2010, at Yale Law School, 127 Wall Street, New Haven, CT. The three-day event will bring together an international group of scholars and public interest advocates to discuss the intersections between global knowledge policy and human rights.

Members of the public not attending in person will be able to follow the discussions via live streaming video, which will be available on the ISP blog. Remote participants may contribute comments and questions to the panelists via Twitter.

“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.

This year’s conference will be the first to focus on the human rights dimension of access to knowledge. Participants will explore the implications of intellectual property, telecommunications and technology policy for freedom of expression, access to education and health care, and other rights recognized in international law.

“Issues of access to knowledge have a great impact upon the enjoyment of many human rights,” said Lea Shaver ’06, ISP’s Access to Knowledge Program Director. “Thinking more deliberately about these connections can open up new avenues for public interest advocacy and policy reform.”

The ISP is collaborating on the conference with a diverse team of organizing partners representing academia and civil society. Partners include both organizations long involved with access to knowledge issues, as well as those active in the sphere of human rights advocacy.

The A2K4 conference is open to the public. Advance registration is required for those attending in person and should be completed online. Registration fees are waived for Yale faculty and students.

For further information about the conference, including the schedule and list of speakers, visit the A2K4 conference website.

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