1. Access to Knowledge and
Philosophy of Technology
Eddan Katz
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Hale Lecture on Ethics
September 20, 2007
Wednesday, December 29, 2010 1

2. What is Access to Knowledge
(A2K)?
• Theoretical Framework for understanding the
knowledge economy
• Social Movement of technology, intellectual
property, access to medicines, etc. activists from
developed and developing countries
• Draft Treaty and Development Agenda at the
World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO)
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3. A2K & Philosophy
• Origins of Access to Knowledge is at the
intersection of innovation and development
• Led by technology policy activists, law &
technology centers, law professors & economists
• Yale ISP leading intellectual framing and
movement-building
• Set of questions that need to be worked through
and supported by philosophers
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4. My Thesis
• Access to Knowledge is key to the attainment of
human development and human rights
• Open Infrastructures are key to improving access
to knowledge
• Can an ethics of the good support the claim that
open infrastructures are key to A2K?
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5. History of IP & International
Trade
• What is similar between designer handbags,
hollywood movies, and genetically modified food?
• IP alliance formed between agri-biotech,
copyright alliance, and anti-counterfeiting.
• Agenda to shift IP as the domain of international
trade and set out harmonized global regime
• Exploit anxieties about US trade deficit - claim
about maximizing IP protection as key to
maintaining hegemony in knowledge economy.
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6. Knowledge & Information
Theory
• Information - basic facts, news, weather, government
documents
• Knowledge - education, artisan and technical skill
• Knowledge-Embedded Goods - pharmaceuticals,
agricultural seeds, computer software
• Knowledge-Embedded Tools - internet infrastructure,
technical standards, research databases
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7. Regime-Shifting & Public
Choice Theory
• Small multi-national corporate alliance first
drafting of IP regime wish list.
• Frustrated by WIPO, alliance moves to WTO.
Passes TRIPs.
• Trade negotiations with developing countries.
TRIPs-Plus Agenda
• Harmonization & Resistance. Special 301 - USTR
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8. Development Agenda &
Cyber-Activism
• South Centre, ICTSD, KEI and others create
PCDA - working group at WIPO.
• Reform WIPO on subject matter, technical
assistance, and flexibilities of implementation
• This week confirmed recommendations to
General Assembly at WIPO
• Upcoming interpretive battle over impact on
WIPO activities
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9. A2K Country Study Topics
• Agriculture: seed patents, distributed scientific research; farmer's rights
• Health: access to medicines, access to information about health;
informed consent
• Science: scientific publication & IP, open access journals; distributed
databases
• Genetic Resources: traditional medicine; varietal protection; clinical
trials
• Education: IP & textbooks; distance learning; open educational
resources
• Culture: mass media & new media; creative commons; digital piracy
• Traditional Knowledge: indigenous culture; community benefit-sharing
• Software: free and open source; DRM/anti-circumvention; values in
design
• Libraries: copyright exceptions & limitations; community access; public
domain
• ICT: mobile technology, telecentres, universal service; broadband access
• Infrastructure: internet governance; technical barriers to trade;
standards
• Information: transparency & democracy; ownership of information;
privacy
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10. A2K Claims - Development
• Human Development - essential needs: food
security, medicine, education, partic. in culture
• Social Justice - distributive. Not opportunities in
the form of rights.
• Technology & Competition Policy - dependent on
economic development & cultural context
• Spurring information & knowledge production in
these areas (info, knowledge, KEG, KET) will
improve people’s lives
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11. A2K Claims - Open
Infrastucture
• Open Infrastructures are better for efficiency and
production. (e.g., open source, wikipedia, p2p (vs.
drm)
• Open infrastructure enable greater freedom and
individual participation. Modifiability; tailoring to
local needs
• Peer Production - non-market voluntarism.
Modularity, Granularity, Integration.
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12. Open Access Journals
• Increasing monopoly over publication of schoalrly
materials.
• Built on top of regime of exclusive rights in
copyright
• Reputation economy - entrenched publication
hierarchy
• Economy of Ideas - Value grows with greater
distribution
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13. Historical Moment
• Will information and knowledge production
continue to be dominated by large corporate
entities in a centralized structure?
• or Will information production be distributed
across greater number of people, from all around
the world? Strategy is one of participation.
• This is dependent on international technology
policy.
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14. Questions for Philosophers
• What is the status of moral obligation within
open infrastructures & online communities?
• Where is the source of responsibility in network
infrastructures?
• How can the open infrastructures be reconciled
with reactionary cultural preservation &
sanctification of knowledge?
• Can distributive justice claims be globalized or is
it a question for national policy?
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