Copyright - Are people with sensory-disabilities getting a fair deal?

Denise Rosemary Nicholson
University of Witwatersrand

presented by Dick Kawooya

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     Last modified: August 23, 2006
     Presentation date: 10/31/2006 4:00 PM in NT Manchester
     (View Schedule)

Abstract
Copyright has become a barrier to accessing information, particularly in developing countries. Many developing countries have signed international intellectual property agreements, which set down minimum standards for copyright protection. For various socio-economic and political reasons, most, if not all of them, have not yet incorporated all these requirements into their national copyright laws. Nor have they taken advantage of the legal limitations and exceptions allowed in these international agreements. This means that developing countries do not have provisions for persons with visual, aural or perceptual disabilities in their national copyright laws. As a result, copyright laws restrict or block access to information for persons with sensory disabilities and often override their fair use rights. Many of these people are distance learners because of their disabilities. This presentation will show, from a South African perspective, that copyright laws do not address people with sensory-disabilities or distance learners. It will give some practical examples where people with sensory-disabilities are not getting a fair deal at all!