Threat of Technological Protection Measures to a Development-oriented Information Society

South Centre has published its Policy Brief 9 on "The Threat of Technological Protection Measures to a Development-oriented Information Society”.

Developing countries face multiple challenges on access to knowledge and information for their development. One of the challenges is to develop an enabling institutional and policy framework. The development of digital technology and information revolution offer enormous opportunities for the production and access to knowledge goods. Copyright law plays an increasingly important role in providing incentives for the production and promotion access to works. However, such incentives must be balanced with the public interest in access.

The use of technological measures by copyright right-holders to protect works in the digital environment, combined with new international legal obligations to protect such measures poses a threat for developing countries. The obligations should be rejected, or narrowly crafted in national laws so as to promote access to knowledge for development.

Download the Policy Brief in English, French and Spanish.