[Discussioni] [ICTSD, UNCTAD] Intellectual Property and Computer Software - A Battle of Competing Use and Access Visions for Countries of the South

[Andrea Glorioso]

Ciao a tutti.

http://www.iprsonline.org/unctadictsd/docs/CS_Story.pdf

 This paper  is a contribution of   the joint UNCTAD-ICTSD  Project on
 Intellectual Property  Rights  and  Sustainable  Development  to  the
 ongoing debate on the  impact and relevance of intellectual  property
 rights on new software  technologies and development.  In particular,
 it examines  the conceptual,  economic and intellectual  property law
 implications of `proprietary' and `free' software formats.

 The paper puts forward five main findings. First, that copyrights and
 other forms of intellectual  property protection have erected a clear
 barrier to   the spread of software across   the South.  Second, free
 software  formats are moving fast in  most developing countries where
 users are   attempting to   develop  new products,   innovations  and
 adaptations  in a effort to  reduce  the digital divide. Third, after
 comparing the license costs of proprietary and free software formats,
 the  paper  suggests that   costs associated  with free  software are
 significantly lower although  some learning, maintenance and services
 costs  need  to  be     taken  into  account   when   adopting  these
 technologies.  Fourth,  free  software formats might  offer different
 advantages   for  technology    transfer   and follow-up applications
 depending on  the  model  used (i.e. open   source or  general public
 licences).  Finally,   in  the current     international context free
 software  systems  are   not a  mere policy     choice for developing
 countries,   they are   an   important  alternative   for   building,
 maintaining and changing rules that govern information flows.

 Intellectual property rights have (IPRs) never been more economically
 and    politically important   or     controversial  than   they  are
 today. Patents,   copyrights,   trademarks,  industrial      designs,
 integrated    circuits and  geographical  indications  are frequently
 mentioned in discussions and debates on such diverse topics as public
 health,    food   security, education,    trade,  industrial  policy,
 traditional knowledge, biodiversity, biotechnology, the Internet, the
 entertainment and  media  industries.  In a  knowledge-based economy,
 there is no doubt  that an understanding  of IPRs is indispensable to
 informed policy making in all areas of human development.

[...]

Ciao,

--
Andrea Glorioso             sama a miu-ft.org         +39 333 820 5723
        .:: Media Innovation Unit - Firenze Tecnologia ::.
	      Conquering the world for fun and profit