Access to knowledge
Copyright vs the right to copy
April 16,2008, Lawrence Liang, Alternative Law Forum.
The article critically looks at the implementation of the Indian Copyright Act 1957 with reference to the controversy surrounding the music of a Hindi movie which was plagiarised which brought it (the Indian Copyright Act 1957) into focus. The case involved a Rs. 2 crore settlement as an answer to the allegations made by the music composer against the producers for violation of copyright.
ICT in the context of education system
(Draft-Please do not cite), April, 2008, IT for Change
The article profiles the use of ICTs in the field of education from various aspects. These include the direct application of ICTs to teacher education as well as secondary education, which involves both the teacher and the student.There are also other important areas where ICT is proving to be a differentiator in the quality of education being imparted, one of which is the collection and collation of the large amount of data which facilitates education administration to a great extent.
National Knowledge Commission: Report to the nation 2007
2007, National Knowledge Commission
The National Knowledge Commission (NKC), a high-level advisory body to the Prime Minister of India, has made further recommendations to transfer the country into a knowledge society, in its second Report to the Nation. The new set of recommendations include creation of portals to ensure transparency in governance, initiation of an Indian Health Information Network, greater attention to traditional health systems, enhanced focus on legal, health and management education, support to open access and open educational resources and building up a world class intellectual property resources infrastructure.
Access to Knowledge
2006, National Knowledge Commission report
The facility for access to information and knowledge repositories is acknowledged as a key ingredient in development of both the individual as well as the community. The report looks at the central problem of access to knowledge in India and some of the primary issues involved.
Regulation of cyber – A space or a medium?
Lawrence Liang , Alternative Law Forum
This paper examines the philosophical basis for a claim to regulate cyberspace rather than looking at specific loopholes in existing laws and the proposed legislations which deal with cyberspace. The author critically assesses the claim that cyberspace has to be regulated and the particular mode of regulation that is envisaged. According to him, cyberspace may be one of the last surviving commons which has evaded strict regulation. The issue at hand is whether the Internet is simply a technological medium or a technological space.
Virtual education goes rural
November 27, 2007, H Chethana Gadiyar, Dataquest
This article focuses on the Nemmadi centres in Karnataka that train rural students to prepare for the highly competitive Common Entrance Tests (CETs). These centres are equipped with computers, VSAT and microphone making them virtual and interactive classrooms.
Internet taking root in India
July 6, 2006, Ranjan Srivastava, The Hoot
Internet usage has been widening and deepening in India according to the India Online 2006 report. There has been a 22% increase in the number of Internet users in the past year. While the majority of users prefer English pages, 42% visit Indian language websites. The proportion of women net users has increased by 11%.
