In the earliest days of software, the 1960’s and 70’s, computers software was not protected under copyright laws (Story, Darch, & Halbert, 2006); free information sharing, software in this case, was embraced in the name of furthering science (Speres, 2009). Today, however, piracy (anti-piracy) is at the top of many Northern governments’ agendas (Story, Darch, & Halbert, 2006). Many of the negative effects of proprietary software on countries of the Global South compared to free and open source are directly related to larger access and developmental issues (Story, Darch, & HAlbert, 2006; Shalden, Schrank& Kurtz, 2005). Economic access, undoubtedly, is among the primary reasons Southern nations cannot enforce or afford to enforce the strict regulations
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When comparing per capita gross national product (GNP) of nations of the industrialized North and the South, the proprietary costs of software are particularly harsh to nations of the global South. For Example, with the exception of a few parts of South African, in 2006, not a single government in Africa could afford the licensing fees for Microsoft to provide software for its schools (Story, Darch, &Halbert, 2006). The same is true for most nations of the South. John Perry Barlow of the U.S. Electronic Frontier Foundation said in a speech in January 2005 addressing the World Social Forum that, “Already Brazil spends more in licensing fees in proprietary software than it spends on hunger “(Story, Darch, & Halbert, 2006, p.165). The cost of software licensing should not be a matter of life and death for citizens of developing nations, but it is. If software copyright was not permitted or its breadth narrowed more countries of the South would have the ability to purchase them, as their prices would be significantly lowered (Story, Darch, & Halbert, 2006). Some argue that there is no need to copyright …show more content…
There is a lack of research examining the impact of TRIPS on capitalization levels of markets (DiVita, 2014) and causation of piracy in developed nations (Story, Darch, & Halbert, 2006). I am not suggesting that Intellectual property rights should be removed as an institution; it is vital, however, that IP monopolies are restricted and balanced, more in alignment with article 7 of the TRIPS agreement. There are many ways that this can be achieved, including, keeping prices low, ensuring dispersal, and allowances for improvement (He, 2011). Fair use is the lawful copying of copyrighted material for “transformative” purposes, such as, commentary, criticism, or parody. Fair use would be ideal for educational purposes. A fair use system would also require minimal financial input (Strba, 2012). There are also licensing options that have been bought forth that would ownership to remain with original copyright owners, while encouraging the dissemination of
When comparing per capita gross national product (GNP) of nations of the industrialized North and the South, the proprietary costs of software are particularly harsh to nations of the global South. For Example, with the exception of a few parts of South African, in 2006, not a single government in Africa could afford the licensing fees for Microsoft to provide software for its schools (Story, Darch, &Halbert, 2006). The same is true for most nations of the South. John Perry Barlow of the U.S. Electronic Frontier Foundation said in a speech in January 2005 addressing the World Social Forum that, “Already Brazil spends more in licensing fees in proprietary software than it spends on hunger “(Story, Darch, & Halbert, 2006, p.165). The cost of software licensing should not be a matter of life and death for citizens of developing nations, but it is. If software copyright was not permitted or its breadth narrowed more countries of the South would have the ability to purchase them, as their prices would be significantly lowered (Story, Darch, & Halbert, 2006). Some argue that there is no need to copyright …show more content…
There is a lack of research examining the impact of TRIPS on capitalization levels of markets (DiVita, 2014) and causation of piracy in developed nations (Story, Darch, & Halbert, 2006). I am not suggesting that Intellectual property rights should be removed as an institution; it is vital, however, that IP monopolies are restricted and balanced, more in alignment with article 7 of the TRIPS agreement. There are many ways that this can be achieved, including, keeping prices low, ensuring dispersal, and allowances for improvement (He, 2011). Fair use is the lawful copying of copyrighted material for “transformative” purposes, such as, commentary, criticism, or parody. Fair use would be ideal for educational purposes. A fair use system would also require minimal financial input (Strba, 2012). There are also licensing options that have been bought forth that would ownership to remain with original copyright owners, while encouraging the dissemination of