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CIS' Comments on the Department of Biotechnology and Department of Science Open Access Policy
In July 2014, the Department of Biotechnology and the Department of Science, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India released a draft Open Access Policy. CIS participated in discussions along with experts brought on board by the Drafting Committee to develop and review the open access policy. As a follow-up, CIS prepared comments to the draft Policy. This post makes available CIS' comments to the draft Policy.
Announcing the Tracks for the Global Congress on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest 2015
CIS recently announced that the Centre for Internet and Society will be hosting the fourth edition of the Global Congress on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest at New Delhi, India, tentatively in the first two weeks of December, 2015. This post declares the track events to be conducted, seeks your participation and invites contributions from potential funders.
Digital Humanities and the Alt-Academy
The emergence of Digital Humanities (DH) has been contemporaneous to the ‘crisis’ in the humanities, spurred by changing social and economic conditions which have urged us to rethink traditional methods, locations and concepts of research and pedagogy. This blog post examines the emergence of the phenomenon of the alt-academy in the West, and examines the nuances and possibilities of such a space in the Indian context.
Andhra Loyola College and the Centre for Internet & Society sign MoU for Better Net Access
Andhra Loyola College (ALC) and the Centre for Internet and Society's Access to Knowledge team (CIS-A2K) have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to steward the growth of Telugu Wikipedia and to make available free knowledge in Telugu to all Telugus across the globe.
Interviews with App Developers: [dis]regard towards IPR vs. Patent Hype – Part II
The following is a second post within a series reporting on interviews conducted with 10 of Bangalore's mobile app developers and other industry stakeholders. Within this research, CIS attempts to understand how they engage with the law within their practice, particularly with respect to IP. Here we examine how these developers responded to a question on legal protection for their works.
Learning to Forget the ECJ's Decision on the Right to be Forgotten and its Implications
“The internet never forgets” is a proposition which is equally threatening and promising.
Preventive Detention for Copyright Violation: Karnataka Amends the 'Goondas' Act
Last week, the Government of Karnataka amended the Karnataka Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Drug-Offenders, Gamblers, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders and Slum Gamblers Act, 1985 (“the Karnataka Goondas Act”). The Karnataka Goondas Act would now also apply to offences under the Indian Copyright Act, 1957 and the Information Technology Act, 2000. This article presents an overview on the various provisions of this law and discusses the potential impact of the amendment.
Transformation, or Drift?
We need transformative policies and incentives with purpose, especially in solar power and digital infrastructure.
“OTTs Eating Into Our Revenue”: Telcos in India
On August 5, 2014, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India organised a seminar on a regulatory framework for Over-The-Top services. This is a lay discussion of the Seminar and its focus on matters crucial to telecom, the Internet and the existing regulatory framework.
Second Privacy and Surveillance Roundtable
On July 4, 2014, the Centre for Internet and Society in association with the Cellular Operators Association of India organized a privacy roundtable at the India International Centre. The primary aim was to gain inputs on what would constitute an ideal surveillance regime in India.
Surat’s Massive Surveillance Network Should Cause Concern, Not Celebration
The blog post examines the surveillance network of Surat, a city in Gujarat state in India.
Analysing Alice Corporation Pty Ltd v CLS Bank International Et Al
The US Supreme Court delivered a unanimous decision in Alice Corporation Pty Ltd v CLS Bank International Et Al last month. The decision concerning software related inventions (with respect to carving an exception to “abstract ideas” patent eligibility category) was the most awaited and the final patent ruling of the US’ Supreme Court’s term. This post presents an analysis of the decision and a timeline of landmark US judicial decisions on software patents.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 17) – Nishant Shah
CIS interviews Nishant Shah, researcher and academic, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 19) – Lobsang Sangay
CIS interviews Lobsang Sangay, Prime Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
CIS Cybersecurity Series (Part 18) – Lobsang Gyatso Sither
CIS interviews Lobsang Gyatso Sither, Tibetan field coordinator and activist, as part of the Cybersecurity Series.
Global Congress on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest, 2015
We are pleased to announce that the Centre for Internet and Society will be hosting the fourth edition of the Global Congress on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest at New Delhi, India, tentatively in the first two weeks of December, 2015. This post seeks your participation and invites your queries and suggestions for the event.
28th Session of the WIPO SCCR: Report on the Proposed Treaty for the Protection of Broadcasting Organizations
The 28th Session of the World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”) Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (“the Committee” / "SCCR") took place in Geneva from June 30, 2014 to July 04, 2014. In this article, Nehaa Chaudhari, who attended this meeting on behalf of CIS, discusses the developments that took place with reference to the proposed Treaty for the Protection of Broadcasting Organizations (“Broadcast Treaty”).
Grounds for Compulsory Patent Licensing in United States, Canada, China, and India
The research paper seeks to answer questions about the grounds of compulsory licensing in international treaties with specific examples from America and Asia. The grounds for granting compulsory licenses, jurisdictional comparison of compulsory licensing, etc., are examined.
Doctors and Translators Are Working Together to Bridge Wikipedia's Medical Language Gap
I interviewed Wikimedian User:CFCF who is managing the entire project to understand how it is going to work and wrote on Global Voices' Rising Voices about it.
