(Links to resources will open in a new window)
The Royal Society makes recommendations to the British government in matters of science. This Report discusses intellectual property rights (IPRs) as they pertain to patents, copyright, and databases. The Society makes several recommendations aimed at keeping science open, one of which, encourages scientists and funders to keep their data accssible to others by allowing free or cheap access to the data. While the report indicates that IPRs can stimulate innovation in research, they also cause tension between private profit and public good and can hinder the free exchange of ideas and information. A complete list of recommendations and actions is included in the report.
The basics of the European Directive on Database Protection and the impact it is likely to have on this issue in other countries and in the WIPO negotiations is discussed.
This "index" page links to individual issues of the quarterly newsletter that provide coverage of scientific and technical electronic information, Internet, the Web, and related issues such as policy and standards, Web site development guidelines, and topical resources with S&T information content.
GODORT is a forum for librarians concerned with access to and management of local, state and federal documents. The Governments Documents Round Table (GODORT) represents librarians from all types of libraries. A boolean search interface provides access to this extensive Web site covering state, national and international government documents policy, legislation, communication, associations and related events
The Government Information Quarterly is a cross-disciplinary, refereed journal that provides a forum for theoretical and philosophical analyses, the presentation of research findings and their practical applications, and a discussion of current policies and practices, as well as new developments at all levels of government. The journal presents valuable resource material to government officials and policy makers, journalists, lawyers, researchers, teachers and scholars, students, librarians, or anyone interested in the role of government information in society.
The Journal of Government Information provides a forum for the publication of scholarship on government policy, current practice, new developments, and history of the distribution, processing, and use of information at all levels of government.
This web site discusses issues related to information policy, strategies, and governance in a digital, global information environment. Projects undertaken by UNESCO are highlighted.
This web site provides the green paper from DG-XIII on the importance of government information dissemination to the public. The green paper identifies the U.S. model of free flow of government information to the public (the Freedom Information Act, the Paperwork Reduction act, OMB Circular-A130, etc.) as the preferred model. Emphasis is placed on the importance of free information flow to the European economy, democracy, global competitiveness, and the continued integration of the EU. Comments are being received until July 1999. The site also includes minutes from the meetings held in various countries and the lists of attendees.
This report commissioned by Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, provides a strategic framework for bringing government services online. Some of the goals are ambitious: all services will be available electronically by 2005; universial access to the Internet by 2005. The e-government strategic framework published in April identifies a common framework and direction for change across the public sector. The PIU's report is a strategy for the electronic delivery of government services to the citizen, covering central and local government and the wider public sector. However it does not cover service delivery to business or procurement. The report is organized into 9 chapters covering financial matters, benefits and challenges of electronic service delivery, organizing the government to deliver these services, and implementation.
The Government in the United Kingdom has set a goal that everyone who wants Internet access should have it by 2005. This report by the House of Commons Information Committee examines both the parliamentary and communication infrastructure in the context of its interactions with the public. The report identifies areas where the House can assist in meeting public expectations as well as improve its public image. The report sets forth a draft set of five Principles for Information and Communications Technologies.
Finland's new copyright legislation bans all imports of pirate copies from abroad, however, it does allow copying of DVDs for home use. There is a copyright fee that is placed on all empty cassettes, video tapes, or CDs in Finland that compensates for the provision of copying for home use. The new law continues to provide copyright protection to journalist and photographers rather than their employers.