Message-ID: <m11Qu0u-0003gXC@fwd03.btx.dtag.de> Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 16:57:09 +0200 From: Christian Labadie <mailto:320062495398-0001@T-ONLINE.DE> Subject: Re: INTERNATIONAL : bibliotheques et OMC To: mailto:DEVEL-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
Dear All,I am working in a French Association of information scientists (ADBS) and, in August 99, I had the opportunity to attend the IFLA Congress (International Federation of Library Associations) . Among the topics presented I choosed "Copyright and Other Legal Matters". In this framework, I discovered that many reports are done on various subjects. Among them, that was one about the WTO and the impact of its works on our professions.
Now, I am looking for French organizations (chiefly, of the information sector) that are supposed to lobby around the next WTO meeting which will take place in Seattle (USA), from 29 November to 3 December 1999.
Thank you to help me and to send your answers to the following e-mail : mailto:midas.adbs@heliantis.fr
Best regards, Michèle Battisti
- - - - - - - - - Note from Christian Labadie - - - - - - - - - - -
Michèle asked me to post this message on DEVEL-L. I find this topic of great importance, since when analysed under strict scrutiny changes in copyright may mean in the long run that it is impossible to make anything available for free to the general public. The GNU movement started to develop a legal framework to ensure that free contributions remain free for all; review for this purpose the O'Reilly SGML format and the GNU licensing (http://www.gnu.org). Linux was developed under this kind of licensing. For those interested in genetic, they may recall that during the mid-80's the legal framework for making genetically modified plants become a possible object that does no longer belong to the humanity at large, was inspired from the copyright international treaties. It may mean that in the long run poor classes may no longer gain access to knowledge because it has become copyrighted and will be distributed only at prohibitive prices/universities. The Internet has generated a legal vacuum that it is clearly is disfavour of the corporate world; there are no doubt that the most and foremost concern of the WTO won't be about free access to education for all.