Fostering Innovation & Nurturing the Public Space: A Public Policy Imperative Christine Maxwell “Freedom of Expression Symposium” UNESCO, Paris Friday, November,2002

Establishing & Growing the Knowledge Economy  RESEARCHING RELATIONSHIPS …  Civil Society exploiting Info Services &  Explosion of ideas and innovation  LOOKING FOR DANGERS IN:  Continued over-emphasis on development of infrastructure & hardware  No emphasis on indigenous content growth  Education systems focused on rote learning  No systematic building of Public Spaces to foster broad social participation

Challenges for Public Policy  How to stimulate creative enterprises involved in ideas production.  How to make access to capital easier  Rewarding creative risk-taking - (including tax incentives…  Lowering content liabilities & encouraging placement of new ideas & cultural forms into the Public Domain (using Fair Use/access)

Promoting Innovation - What’s it going to take?  Placing the challenge of encouraging innovation - original ideas & creativity at the center of Public Policy.  Focus AWAY from existing content protection Continuing Education :  Focus ON which public policies are effective at encouraging significant increase in creativity in all areas of the arts & sciences. Continuing Education : The Key to the Knowledge Society & Competitive Success in a Global Market Competitive Success in a Global Market

Role of Public Policy  Encouragement of Public Interest Research for Scientists  Promoting the public good and obtaining positive effects without full “payment”  Maximising the availability and distribution of research results, at the lowest possible cost, with the fewest restrictions on use and the promotion of the reuse and integration of the fruits of existing results in new research

Key Actions to Promote: 1  NGOs to have equal participation to recommendations process and equal capacity to voice minority opinions.  Oversight/monitoring of government policies relating to public domain/public space…eg: Observatory of..  Resist ‘commodification’ of public data and information by balancing Intellectual Property Rights with other rights- education, conservation, male/female knowledge parity.  Auditing /reviewing of what property belongs to the public domain with all actors involved.

Key Actions to Promote: 2  Help push National legislations (to ensure public representation) in the area of public domain and public space.  Financing of the infrastructure development and public domain data needs to be part of national taxation policy agendas.  Actions to stimulate international national and regional discussions

CONTACT INFORMATION  CHRISTINE MAXWELL  Trustee Emeritus  Internet Society  