Digital Rights + Internet Governance + Innovation Policy

ICANN Board Member Susan Crawford’s Remarks on Vote to Prevent .xxx Domain Name Space Application

Excellent comments on new gTLD process: "... I note as a side point that such a requirement in the U.S. would violate the first amendment to our Constitution. But this content-related censorship should not be ICANN's concern and ICANN should not allow itself to be used as a private lever for government chokepoint content control by making up reasons to avoid the creation of such a TLD in the first place. To the extent there are public policy concerns with this TLD, they can be dealt with through local laws. ... We should be examining generic TLD applicants on the basis of their technical and financial strength. We should avoid dealing with content concerns to the maximum extent possible. We should be opening up new TLDs. ..."

UNESCO Report on “Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies: A Survey”

"The report further aims at alerting UNESCO’s Member States and partners to the increasing power and presence of emerging technologies and draws attention to their potential to affect the exercise of basic human rights. Perhaps as its most salient deduction, the study signals that these days all decision makers, developers, the corporate scholar and users are entrusted with a profound responsibility with respect to technological developments and their impact on the future orientation of knowledge societies. It is our hope that this study will impress upon the policy makers, community, producers and users the need to carefully observe evolutions in ICTs – and, by so doing, to comprehend the ethical and moral consequences of technological choices on human rights in the Knowledge Societies. ..."

IP Justice Submission to the IGF: Realizing the Internet’s Promise for Universal Access to Knowledge and Development

- Internet’s open and free nature are key to accessing knowledge and development - Internet Governance Policies and Intellectual Property Rights - IP Justice Recommendations for an Internet Governance Forum Discussion to Promote the Internet as a Tool for Access to Knowledge and Development: 1. Preserve Openness of Internet and Free Flow of Information: - Build Freedom of Expression Values into Laws & Architectures - Critical Online Speech Censored by Copyright and Trademark -“Digital Locks” Control Flow of Information and Threaten Interoperability - Preserve Interoperability with Open and Free Technical Standards - Governments Adopt Open Document Formats - Encourage Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Development 2. Grow the Online Information Commons: - Recognize Internet as Valuable Tool for Access to Knowledge - Protect and Value Public Domain - Database Rights Restrict Free Flow of Information on Internet - Provide Online Access to Publicly Funded Research - Recognize Social Value of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Software 3. Build Respect for Civil Liberties into IPR Laws and Procedures Addressing Online Behavior - ICANN’s Whois Policy Must Conform with Privacy Laws - US DMCA “Notice and Take-Down” Provisions Should Comply with Due Process Conclusion: IGF Should Address Relationship Between Intellectual Property Rights, Free Expression, and Access to Knowledge

Tragedy of the Commons: IPR in the Info Age

"Tragedy of the Commons": Intellectual Property Rights in the Information Age The Threat to Civil Liberties and Innovation Posed by Expanding Copyrights By Robin D. Gross, Esq. IP Justice Executive Director www.ipjustice.org Published by MIT Press, 2006 0.  Introduction As we enter an information age, the rules governing the use and dissemination of information become [...]

IP Justice: “WIPO Debates Fate of Treaty on Broadcasting & Webcasting”

IP Justice Media Release ~ 2 May 2006 Contact: Robin D. Gross, IP Justice Executive Director Telephone: +1.415.553.6261 Email: robin@ipjustice.org WIPO Debates Fate of Treaty on Broadcasting and Webcasting: Controversial Provisions Remain in Treaty Draft Over Majority Objections (Geneva)  IP Justice is in Geneva to participate at the 14th session of the Standing Committee on [...]

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