Friday, May 27, 2011

Imagine All the Freedom - UNBC Copyright Conference June 23-24, 2011



The University of Northern British Columbia will be hosting a very interesting copyright conference in Prince George  BC on June 23 -24, 2011.

I'm delighted to be the keynote speaker and have been asked to deal with this:

Imagine All the Freedom
The Canadian library and educational community operates under the weight, constraint, significant restrictions and costs imposed by the Copyright Act and, increasingly, by the Copyright Board. Canadian researchers, teachers, students and the general public pay more money for less access than their counterparts in countries with which Canada needs to compete. In many instances, rational risk aversion has developed into irrational role reversal.  How has this situation arisen? What can be done about it?

Powerful interests are intent upon repealing fair dealing in Canada. Leading institutions that should be vigorously defending fair dealing and fighting against excessive tariffs are arguably not doing so effectively. Imagine all the freedom if Canada were to adopt a regime that would actually serve the needs of those who need to teach, learn and engage in research at all ages and stages in their lives...

Imagine.

The full program and registration details, etc. are here.

I hope to see lots of folks there. It should be very lively and the location can't be beat!

HK

3 comments:

  1. Wow! I live in Prince George. I had no idea something like this would be coming here. Lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  2. John Lennon could not have said it better.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's interesting that some of the most innovative thinking about copyright in the educational context comes out of UNBC and Athabasca U... not from the large institutions or the Canadian Ivy League, who seem to be afraid of their own shadows.

    ReplyDelete