IGF 2014

Copyright law has been struggling to adapt to the dynamic impact of Internet and digital technologies for some time. Originally a mechanism put in place to promote creation by ensuring fair rewards for creators, copyright laws have become, in important respects, a barrier to a strong digital economy and an impediment to promote access to knowledge and innovation. In this changing context, new beneficiaries of copyright protection, and new ways of framing copyright policy, have emerged.
This workshop considers the evolution of copyright policy and reform over the past half century, with the emergence of the Internet intensifying copyright debates and advocacy agendas. On the one hand, creators and distributors have, to a certain extent, benefited from stronger protections for their works online. On the other hand, users and consumers have more legitimacy in asking for improved access to information and culture online.
There is a greater diversity of stakeholders invested in copyright law and policy than ever before, with their own perspectives on the ultimate goals of copyright reform. In this environment, do our traditional understandings of the scope and purpose of copyright still stand?
Panelists will consider the evolution of copyright law over the past half century, and query whether our understandings of copyright law should be redefined for the World Wide Web and a sustainable Internet (Article 72, Tunis Agenda). If the answer is yes, this discussion will work towards identifying a redefined purpose of copyright, and key principles for a fully web-integrated copyright framework.

Workshop Agenda:
1. 5 min theme introduction and presentation of the main issues (Ellen Broad - IFLA)
2. 10 min for each speaker to answer the proposed questions
3. 25 for public debate