An alternative primer on national and international copyright law in the global South: eighteen questions and answers

[Michel Bauwens]

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE COPYSOUTH RESEARCH GROUP OCTOBER 2009.

What are the basic nuts and bolts (and traps and dead ends) of copyright
law? Who owns copyright (hint: it is usually not the author)? What rights do
users have? Do international copyright conventions work in the interest of the
peoples of the world, and, if not, why not?

These are a few of the questions that are taken up and answered in “An
alternative primer on national and international copyright law in the global
South: eighteen questions and answers”. It has been written by Alan Story
and was published in September 2009 by the CopySouth Research Group.

The intended audience: librarians, musicians, downloaders and book readers,
information activists, students, and others who want to know how the
copyright system actually works in practice in your country in Latin America,
Africa, and Asia.

In 68 pages of straightforward and non-legalistic writing, this primer tries to
unpack and explain a number of both simple and complicated concepts.You will
NOT find it on the list of texts recommended by the World Intellectual
Property Organisation (WIPO)…. but your comments and criticisms are
welcome on the website below.

The Primer can be downloaded at:
http://copysouth.org/portal/copyright-primer

A Spanish and Portuguese translation of the Primer will be completed and
available in the next six months.

Alan Story teaches intellectual property law at Kent Law School in the United
Kingdom.