The Centre for Internet and Society
http://editors.cis-india.org
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Letter to Education Secretary, Government of Karnataka, Advocating Adoption of FOSS in State IT Academies
http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/letter-to-education-secretary-may-2009
<b>The Centre for Internet and Society is a signatory to a letter being sent to the Education Secretary, Government of Karnataka, advocating the adoption of FOSS at state IT academies. </b>
<p>
The state of Karnataka has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
Microsoft under which three IT academies have been established in
the state, in Bangalore, Dharwad and Gulbarga, in 2004-05. Government school teachers are being trained at these academies. As
per the MOU, only Microsoft decides the curriculum at these
academies, and only Microsoft software applications are being taught
to the teachers. This MOU will expire in the coming academic year. Therefore, Gurumurthy Kasinathan and members of the FOSS community in India are sending a letter to the Education Secretary for the state of Karnataka, advocating the adoption of a FOSS-based curriculum in these IT academies, and explaining why this would be a useful move.</p>
<p>The Centre for Internet and Society is one of the signatories to this letter, which is reproduced below.</p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>To</p>
<p>The
Education Secretary</p>
<p>Government
of Karnataka</p>
<p>MS
Building</p>
<p>Bangalore,
Karnataka.</p>
<p><u><strong>Sub
– Microsoft IT Academies in Karnataka</strong></u></p>
<p>
Dear Sri Nadadur,</p>
<p>
Karnataka has a MOU with
Microsoft under which three 'IT Academies' have been established in
the State, in Bangalore, Dharwad and Gulbarga during 2004-05.
Government school teachers are being trained in these academies. As
per the MOU, only Microsoft decides the curriculum in these
academies, and only Microsoft software applications are being taught
to the teachers.</p>
<p>
There are a couple of issues
with this program.</p>
<p>
Firstly Microsoft does not allow
the teaching of software other than their own proprietary products.
This deprives the teachers from learning alternative Free and Open
Source Software (FOSS) platforms. There are compelling pedagogical,
economic, social and political reasons why the education system
needs to adopt and promote FOSS. Free software is software which
gives the users the <strong>freedom </strong>to <strong>use, study, modify and
share, </strong>while in the case of proprietary software, the vendor
prevents the study, modification and distribution of the software.
The freedoms of FOSS provide users and the rest of society with
several important advantages, which are briefly listed below:</p>
<p>
a. With proprietary software,
the teachers only learn be superficial 'users'. This is because,
proprietary software companies prevent access to the “source
code” that goes into the creation of software. With FOSS, students
can learn not only how to use software, but also how create and
modify the software applications. Hence with FOSS, students will not
just be passive users but will actually construct knowledge. As we
know, 'Constructivism' is a key feature of the National Curriculum
Framework 2005.</p>
<p>
b. FOSS supports the creation of
local language versions of the software. For example, Kerala has
locally created software in Malayalam for its IT@School program.
Similarly the Kannada community <em>Sampada
</em>has created a
complete Kannada distribution by customising existing FOSS software.</p>
<p>
Though Microsoft has provided
Windows and Microsoft Office gratis at these academies, it does not
provide the same software to the teachers who are trained at the
centre. Hence the teachers who intend to purchase computers would
need to shell out considerable amounts for the software which they
have become used to in the schools. However, if the teachers are
trained on FOSS alternatives to Windows and Office, at at negligible
price (the cost of a CD which is around Rupees ten), each teacher can
be a given a copy of the software. The training can also cover the
installation of the software, if required. In this way, the teacher
training can lead to the actual use of computers in the schools and
teachers homes and make the training meaningful and lead to the
greater dispersion of ICTs. Currently, most teachers learn to use
these products but have no continuity of learning which makes the
training futile.</p>
<p>Of course, the issue of FOSS is
not only one of cost. Even if proprietary software were offered free
of cost, our nation will eventually have economic losses, due to
permanent dependency on software monopoly.</p>
<p>
These are some of the reasons
why <strong>Karnataka has chosen FOSS in its own ICT@Schools program. The
computers in Karnataka schools run on GNU/Linux platform under this
program. We would like to submit that the teacher training in the IT
Academies at Bangalore, Dharwad and Gulbarga also need to be aligned
to the IT@School program, and hence teachers should be taught on the
same FOSS software platforms as well.</strong></p>
<p>
We had a meeting with Ms Vandita
Sharma last November, along with Dr Richard Stallman, the founder of
the global Free Software movement, and explained these issues. She
was sympathetic to these arguments on the public benefits from FOSS
and mentioned that the department would take appropriate action in
this regard as is consistent with the public interest and those of
the teachers and children in our government schools. She mentioned
that the MOU with Microsoft is expiring in the coming academic year
and and requested us to formally write to her in this regard, hence
this letter.</p>
<p>
We request that the Government
take a firm stance in favor of adopting and promoting FOSS and chose
FOSS in its software procurement to align the department to the
government schools.</p>
<p>A few months back, organisations that
are working to promote FOSS came together to establish a <strong>'Coalition
of the FOSS Community in India</strong>' whose goal is to collaborate with
governments and other organisations to promote the adoption of FOSS,
specially in the public sector. Several of the member of this
coalition are based in Bangalore, including the Centre for Internet
and Society, Sampada, Swatantra Malayalam Computing, Deeproot Linux,
IT for Change etc. Faculty from IIM-B, Bangalore University as well
as other academic institutions are also members of this coalition.
<strong>Members of this coalition are willing to provide any technical
support or guidance that the government may require in this regard</strong>.
For eg, FOSS curriculum for both schools and for teacher training is
available in Kerala and can be adapted to Karnataka schools. It
should be noted that FOSS is already being used in many institutions
in Karnataka, including IISC, IIIT-B, IIIT-H, IITK and many
engineering colleges.</p>
<p>We hope our submission will be
considered by the education department as well as by the government
and we look forward to working with you to help bring these ideals
into reality. If you think it would be useful, we could plan a small
workshop / interaction, or even a series of workshops for different
stakeholders, to discuss the issue in more detail and look at the
implications of the choice of the software platforms for the ICT
programs in the department.</p>
<p>We look forward to your response.</p>
<p>
Yours truly</p>
<p>
Gurumurthy Kasinathan and
members of the FOSS community in India (list of signatories is
provided overleaf)</p>
<p>
May 9<sup>th</sup> 2009.</p>
<p>
Copy - Commissioner for Public
Instruction, Sri Kumar Naik</p>
<p>Copy - State
Project Director, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, Sri Selva Kumar</p>
<p>
Copy - Principal Secretary,
DPAR (Dept of Personnel and Administrative Reforms) e-Governance</p>
<p>
Copy - Principal Secretary,
Department of IT</p>
<p>
enclosed:</p>
<p>
Why Government of Karnataka
should adopt and promote FOSS</p>
<p>
Kerala IT@Schools project</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/letter-to-education-secretary-may-2009'>http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/letter-to-education-secretary-may-2009</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpennessFLOSS2011-08-23T02:55:16ZBlog EntryInternational School at the Digital Media program of the University of Texas at Austin - Portugal Collaboratory (CoLab)
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/international-school-at-the-digital-media-program-of-the-university-of-texas-at-austin-portugal-collaboratory-colab-1
<b>Applications are now open for the first International School on Digital Transformation, to be held July 19-24, 2009, at the University of Porto in Porto, Portugal. The School is accepting applications from advanced students and recent graduates from around the world with an interest in how digital technologies are changing societies and the world as a whole. </b>
<p><a href="http://colab.ic2.utexas.edu/dm/international-school/isdt-student-registration-page/">Applications are now open for the first International School on Digital Transformation</a>,
to be held July 19-24, 2009, at the University of Porto in Porto,
Portugal. The School is accepting applications from advanced students
and recent graduates from around the world with an interest in how
digital technologies are changing societies and the world as a whole.</p>
<p><a href="http://colab.ic2.utexas.edu/dm/international-school/isdt-student-registration-page/"><img title="Application" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-248" src="http://colab.ic2.utexas.edu/dm/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/app_button.jpg" alt="Application" height="35" width="150" /></a></p>
<p>The International School on Digital Transformation will be an
intensive six-day residential program, conducted in English and
bringing together emerging and established scholars and professionals
from around the world. During the week-long session, innovators in
digital communications will serve as teachers and mentors, presenting
their current projects and research and participating in discussions
with advanced students and professionals beginning careers in the
field. Presenters and students will be regarded as peers during the
School.</p>
<p>The School will focus on these themes:</p>
<p>• Democratic transformations of society through digital media<br />
• Innovations in transparency and political participation using new online tools<br />
• Grassroots civic activities using digital technologies<br />
• Building effective communities with the Internet<br />
• Reaching out to new users with mobile and online technologies<br />
• Prospects for digital communication in developing regions<br />
• Digital arts and culture in a globalized, online world</p>
<p>The goals of the International School include:</p>
<ul><li>Combining lectures on current research and innovation with practical experience, using accessible, low-cost digital technologies</li><li>Providing an informal venue for sharing expertise, perspectives, and best practices and for mentoring advanced students</li><li>Fostering a sustainable network of scholars and activists in the field of digital technology, communication and social change</li></ul>
<p><strong>Program</strong></p>
<p>The basic daily schedule will consist of one 90-minute session of
lecture and discussion in the morning: free time for teachers and
students to interact, converse and explore the city in the afternoon;
and two more 90-minute lecture and discussion sessions in the evening,
folowed by a communal meal.</p>
<p>The confirmed speakers for the International School on Digital Transformation include:</p>
<ul><li>Sunil Abraham<br />
Director of Policy at the Center for Internet and Society, Bangalore, India; and current board member of Mahiti Infotech</li><li>Patricia Aufderheide<br />
Professor, School of Communication, American University; director,<br />
Center for Social Media at American University</li><li>Warigia Bowman<br />
Assistant Professor, Department of Public Policy Leadership,<br />
University of Mississippi</li><li>Fiorella De Cindio<br />
Associate Professor, Computer and Information Science Department,<br />
University of Milan</li><li>Martha Fuentes-Bautista<br />
Assistant Professor, Department of Communication, University of<br />
Massachusetts at Amherst</li><li>Stephanie Hankey/Marek Tuszynski (tentative)<br />
Co-founders and directors, Tactical Technology Collective</li><li>Lisa Nakamura (associate faculty)<br />
Professor, Institute of Communication Research; Director, Asian<br />
American Studies Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</li><li>Tapan Parikh<br />
Assistant Professor, School of Information, University of California<br />
at Berkeley</li><li>Tiago Peixoto<br />
Researcher, European University Institute, Florence, Italy</li><li>Alison Powell<br />
SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University</li><li>Andrew Rasiej<br />
Founder of Personal Democracy Forum and techPresident</li><li>Nicholas Reville<br />
Executive director, Participatory Culture Foundation</li><li>Scott Robinson<br />
Professor, Department of Anthropology, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana</li><li>Jorge Martins Rosa<br />
Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Sciences; Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, New University of Lisbon</li><li>Christian Sandvig<br />
Associate Professor, Department of Communication; faculty member,<br />
Project on Public Policy and Advanced Communication Technology,<br />
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</li><li>Doug Schuler<br />
Program Director, Public Sphere Project, an initiative of Computer<br />
Professionals for Social Responsibility</li><li>Leslie Regan Shade<br />
Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, Concordia University</li><li>Maripaz Silva (associate faculty)</li><li>Laura Stein<br />
Assistant Professor, Radio-Television-Film Department, University of<br />
Texas at Austin</li><li>Siva Vaidhyanathan<br />
Associate Professor, University of Virginia, Media Studies and Law;<br />
Fellow, Institute for the Future of the Book</li><li>Katrin Verclas<br />
Co-founder and editor of Mobileactive.org</li></ul>
<p>The International School on Digital Transformation is a program of
the University of Texas Austin-Portugal Colaboratory, or CoLab. The
co-directors of the School are Drs. Sharon Strover and Karen Gustafson,
and Gary Chapman, of the University of Texas at Austin.</p>
<p>The School will be held at the Rectory, a building of the University
of Porto in the center of the city. Student housing will consist of
nearby hotels, and the cost of the School will include a shared hotel
room, two meals per day (breakfast and dinner) and the program itself.
The week will also include a cultural activity offered to all School
participants.</p>
<p>The estimated cost of the International School on Digital
Transformation will be between €300 and €400. Travel to Porto,
Portugal, is not supported; students must find and pay for their own
travel to Porto.</p>
<p>The student application, and more specific information for students, are available at this link.</p>
<p><strong>Porto, Portugal</strong></p>
<p>Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996, Porto is known
for its spectacular architecture and medieval alleyways, and it is also
compact, allowing visitors to easily explore the central city on foot.
Porto is on the Douro River and also near the Atlantic Ocean. It is
famous for its port wine from the inland Portuguese wine region along
the Douro River valley.</p>
<p>During the free afternoons, students and teachers may explore the
sidewalk café culture on Santa Catarina Street, a nearby pedestrian
shopping area, or walk across the Dom Luís I Bridge spanning the Douro
River to the promenade, restaurants, and port houses in Vila Nova de
Gaia, directly opposite central Porto. Short river cruises may be taken
in barcos rabelos, flat-bottomed boats traditionally used to ferry
shipments of port wine.</p>
<p>While Porto is famous for its ancient Roman ramparts and Gothic
churches, it is also home to the Casa da Música concert hall, a superb
example of modern architecture, finished in 2005, that has become an
icon of the city. The Serralves Museum is a major cultural institution
which hosts rotating exhibitions of contemporary art and which features
a world-class garden.</p>
<p>In the late evenings, Porto hosts a thriving clubbing culture, and the city’s nightspots attract DJs from around the world.</p>
<p>Porto has an international airport and is also served by trains from
Lisbon and from Spain. By train, Porto is approximately three and a
half hours north of Lisbon.</p>
<p>Please direct questions regarding the program to Karen Gustafson, at <a href="mailto:kegustafson@mail.utexas.edu.">kegustafson@mail.utexas.edu</a>.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/international-school-at-the-digital-media-program-of-the-university-of-texas-at-austin-portugal-collaboratory-colab-1'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/international-school-at-the-digital-media-program-of-the-university-of-texas-at-austin-portugal-collaboratory-colab-1</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-02T16:08:59ZNews ItemCluster in collaboration with the Architects Association of Turin (FOAT) participates at the Democracy Biennial
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/cluster-in-collaboration-with-the-architects-association-of-turin-foat-participates-at-the-democracy-biennial-1
<b>Sunil Abraham to speak at the conference 'Housing the Democratic City' in Turin, Italy</b>
<div id="parent-fieldname-text" class="kssattr-atfieldname-text kssattr-templateId-widgets/rich kssattr-macro-rich-field-view inlineEditable">
<p>The first edition of the <a href="http://www.biennaledemocrazia.it/" target="_blank">Biennale Democrazia</a>,
will take place in Turin the 22 – 26 April 2009, it is an international
cultural event entirely dedicated to the ethical and political project
of democracy a political system which, by definition, is in constant
evolution and development, continually facing new challenges to be
overcome. The Democracy Biennial is organized by the City of Turin, the
Italia Committee and the Piedmont Regional government. It forms part of
a series of programmes and public events called <a href="http://www.italia150.it/" target="_blank">Esperienza Italia</a>
organized to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Unification of
Italy in 1861. The Democracy Biennial takes its inspiration from the
profound studies on democracy carried out by Norberto Bobbio and it is
intended to function as a tool for spreading a culture of Democracy
that can also be put into practice in everyday life. It aims to create
a permanent, ongoing workshop, open to the public, that explores and
debates, from both a local and international point of view, the
fundamental values of democracy, the forms it has adopted and the
challenges it faces today. The event will consist of different
preparatory activities (workshops, debates, readings, international
forums, in-depth seminars and events actively involving citizens (as
well as films, theatre and music events).</p>
<p>In partnership with the Biennale Democrazia the Architects Association of Turin (<a href="http://www.to.archiworld.it/" target="_blank">FOAT</a>),
has curated a section, within the event program, entitled “Housing the
Democratic City”. The section offers a series of sessions: a workshop,
conferences and a call for paper that aim to stimulate reflections on
issues related to housing the city, for a future of urban democracy.</p>
<p>In occasion of this important event Cluster, in collaboration with
the Architects Association (FOAT), has invited a collaborator from
Bangalore, India, <a href="http://www.cluster.eu/v2/profiles/sunil-abraham/" target="_blank">Sunil Abraham</a>
to speak at the conference “Housing the Democratic City” at Teatro
Gobetti on Sunday 26th April. Other participating speakers are <a href="http://www.zedfactory.com/" target="_blank">Bill Dunster</a> (UK), <a href="http://www.zucchiarchitetti.com/" target="_blank">Cino Zucchi</a> (Italy).</p>
<p>Sunil Abraham is an industrial and production engineer from Bangalore in India. In 1998 he founded <a href="http://www.mahiti.org/" target="_blank">Mahiti</a>,
an association dedicated to reducing the cost and complexity of
information and communication technology for the voluntary sector. In
August 2008 he co-founded <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/../" target="_blank">The Centre for Internet and Society</a>,
that brings together a team of practitioners, theoreticians,
researchers and artists to work on the emerging field of Internet and
Society to critically engage with concerns of digital pluralism, public
accountability and pedagogic practices, with particular emphasis on
South-South dialogues and exchange. Sunil contributed to the last issue
of Cluster, Transmitting Architecture in a dual interview and
discussion entitled “Design in Urban democracy:a question of survival?”
PDF downloadable <a href="http://www.cluster.eu/v2/editions/thackara/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p>Sunil Abraham will also be speaking in two other sections of the
Biennial on April 25 ‘Democracy and India’ with Prof. Federico
Squarcini, professor of History of Indian Religions, University of
Florence and ‘Democracy and Technology’ with the Politecnico of Turin.
More details on the programme coming soon.</p>
<p>For info. please visit: <a href="http://biennaledemocrazia.it/" target="_blank">Biennale Democrazia</a> Order of the Architects of Turin (<a href="http://www.to.archiworld.it/" target="_blank">FOAT</a>)</p>
</div>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/cluster-in-collaboration-with-the-architects-association-of-turin-foat-participates-at-the-democracy-biennial-1'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/cluster-in-collaboration-with-the-architects-association-of-turin-foat-participates-at-the-democracy-biennial-1</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-02T16:09:12ZNews ItemOpen access conference seeks to free research
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/open-access-conference-seeks-to-free-research
<b>Article by Amulya Gopalakrishnan in the Indian Express (New Delhi), 26 March 2009</b>
<p>When Newton famously remarked that if he had seen further than others, it was by “standing on the shoulders of giants”, he wasn’t just being modest. He was stating the simple fact that knowledge builds on previous knowledge, that the back and forth of ideas is vital for scientific achievement. Though the current proprietory publishing model is stacked against scholars, an emerging open access movement across the world aims to free scientific content - and India has big stakes in it.</p>
<p>A conference in New Delhi brought together open access evangelists including Prof. John Willinsky of Stanford University, Prof Leslie Chan of the University of Toronto, Prof Surendra Prasad of IIT Delhi, Dr D K Sahu of MedKnow Publications, and Narendra Kumar of CSIR.</p>
<p>Now, all research papers published from CSIR labs will be made open access, either by putting the full text on freely available institutional repositories or publishing directly in open access journals. Meanwhile, across the world, MIT has become the first university to throw open all its research papers through the online repository software DSpace.</p>
<p>Globally, academic tenure and promotion is traditionally linked to research published in reputed, peer-reviewed journals. These journals are owned by commercial behemoths like Springer and Reed Elsevier, who own stables of journals in various disciplines, and dictate terms to university libraries. But in recent years, journal prices have shot through the roof. </p>
<p>Now, after years of weary negotiation, and empowered by new digital infrastructure, universities are teaming up via free institutional repository systems, to pool and circulate their collective research. In India, institutes like NIT Rourkela have adopted super-archives like DSpace for another reason — to showcase their scientific output to global peers. “NIT doesn’t have the research legacy of IIT or IISC — they needed the visibility,” says NIT director Sunil Kumar Sarangi.</p>
<p>Such a knowledge commons is especially valuable to developing countries — for instance, in agricultural research or public health, it is inexcusable that countries which could benefit most from the scientific debate are left out of the loop, simply because of prohibitive pricing (some journals cost up to 20,000 dollars, annually). This only widens the gulf between the state of research here and the US or Europe.</p>
<p>Even research produced in India with our taxpayer money is sent to big-name commercial journals and all copyright signed away, putting it out of reach for the Indian scholarly community. But all that could change if open access journals become the norm. S K Sahu, who runs MedKnow publications (over 80 open access journals), also busted claims that content on such journals tends to vanish into the ether after a few years online.</p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>To read the article at the Indian Express website, click <a class="external-link" href="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/open-access-conference-seeks-to-free-research/439228/">here</a>.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/open-access-conference-seeks-to-free-research'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/open-access-conference-seeks-to-free-research</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-02T16:10:58ZNews ItemOpen Access to Science Publications--Policy Perspective, Opportunities and Challenges
http://editors.cis-india.org/events/oasp
<b>One-day conference on Open Access</b>
<p>Open Access to scientific literature means the removal of barriers, including price and legal barriers, from accessing scholarly work. With the advent of the internet, widespread and easy access to scientific information is facilitating research and innovation, crucial in today‘s knowledge based society. Open Access is not only changing the nature of scholarly communication but even that of scientific work.</p>
<p>To take stock of the current developments as regards Open Access and to highlight some of the issues that would need to be addressed to enable a wider access to scientific information, the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) is organizing a Conference on 'Open Access to Science Publications: Policy Perspective, Opportunities and Challenges' on 24 March 2009 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.</p>
<p>The conference will cover the emerging global trends in Open Access and focus on what needs to be done in India. This event would be of interest to scientists, social scientists, policy makers, funding agencies, heads and senior managers of academic and research institutions, editors of research journals, etc.</p>
<p>The Conference will have sessions focused on:</p>
<ul><li>Open source and changing research</li><li>Research Impact through Open Access</li><li>Open Access around the World</li><li>The Economics of Open Access</li></ul>
<h3><strong>Date and Time</strong><br /></h3>
<strong></strong>
<p>24 March 2009; 9.00 am - 5.30 pm</p>
<h3>Venue </h3>
<p>India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110003 </p>
<h3>
Speakers</h3>
<p>Speakers at the event include:</p>
<ul><li>
Leslie Chan, University of Toronto and Bioline International <a href="http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/%7Echan/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~chan/</a> </li><li>John Willinsky, Stanford University and Public Knowledge Project <a class="external-link" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Willinsky">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Willinsky</a></li><li>Samir K Brahmachari, CSIR <a class="external-link" href="http://www.csir.res.in/External/Heads/aboutcsir/leaders/DG/igib/bio1.pdf">http://www.csir.res.in/External/Heads/aboutcsir/leaders/DG/igib/bio1.pdf</a></li><li>Subbiah Arunachalam, Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about-us/people/distinguished-fellows" class="external-link">http://cis-india.org/about-us/people/distinguished-fellows</a></li></ul>
<p>Please see the programme below for names of the other speakers.</p>
<h3>Contact <br /></h3>
<p>Dr Naresh Kumar</p>
<p>Head, R&D Planning Division</p>
<p>Council of Scientific & Industrial Research</p>
<p>2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi - 110 001</p>
<p>Fax: (+91) 11 23710340, 23713011</p>
<p>Phone: (+91) 11 23710453, 23713011</p>
Email: headrdpd@csir.res.in
<h3>Programme <br /></h3>
<div>
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<tbody>
<tr>
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<td><br /></td>
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</table>
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<td><strong>0900
– 1000 </strong></td>
<td><strong>Registration</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1000 - 1100</strong></td>
<td><strong>Inaugural Session</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1000
– 1005</strong></td>
<td>Lighting of Lamp</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1005 - 1010</strong></td>
<td>Welcome: <strong>Naresh Kumar</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1010 - 1025 </strong></td>
<td>Inaugural address: <strong>Open Source
& changing research</strong>
<p align="justify"><strong>Prof.
Samir K. Brahmachari, DG,CSIR and Secretary DSIR</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1025 - 1100</strong></td>
<td>Keynote address 1: <strong>Global
and Local Support for Making Research and Scholarship Publicly Available:</strong>
<p align="justify"><strong>Prof. John
Willinsky, Stanford University, USA</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1100 - 1130</strong></td>
<td><strong>Tea</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"> <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1130 - 1300</strong></td>
<td><strong>Plenary Session I : </strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Chair:
Prof. Surendra Prasad </strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1130 - 1205</strong></td>
<td>Keynote address 2: <strong>From
Institutional Repositories to a Global Knowledge Commons:</strong>
<p align="justify"><strong>Prof. Leslie
Chan, University of Toronto, Canada</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td>Presentations:</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1205 -
1225</strong></td>
<td><strong>Eight facts and myths about
open access journals: An experience of eight years and eighty journals: </strong>
<p align="justify"><strong>Dr. D. K. Sahu,
Medknow Publications</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1225 - 1240</strong></td>
<td><strong>Prof. Sunil Kumar Sarangi,
Director, National Institute Technology-Rourkela :</strong> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1240 - 1300</strong></td>
<td><strong>Chair</strong> & <strong>Q&A</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"> <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1300
– 1400</strong></td>
<td><strong>Lunch</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"> <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1400
– 1530</strong></td>
<td><strong>Plenary Session II :</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Chair: Dr. Gangan Prathap</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td>Presentations:</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1400 -
1420</strong></td>
<td><strong>Prof. V. N. Rajasekaran Pillai,
VC , IGNOU</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1420 - 1440</strong></td>
<td><strong>Prof. Mangala Sunder Krishnan,
(NPTEL), IITM</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1440 - 1500</strong></td>
<td><strong>S. Arunachalam:</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1500 - 1530</strong></td>
<td><strong>Chair</strong> & <strong>Q&A</strong> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"> <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1530
– 1600</strong></td>
<td><strong>Tea</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"> <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1600 - 1700</strong></td>
<td><strong>Panel Discussion on
“Open Access to Science and Scholarship”</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Moderator:
Prof. Leslie Chan </strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Prof. John Willinsky </strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Prof.
K L Chopra</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Prof. A S Kolaskar</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Dr.
RR Hirwani</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1700
– 1730</strong></td>
<td><strong>Valedictory : Dr. Naresh Kumar
/ Dr. R. R. Hirwani </strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
<p> </p>
<h3>Video<br /></h3>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZD9dQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZD%2BcQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZD_EQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGALgA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGAfQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGCGwA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGCQAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGCfgA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGiDQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGmLwA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZHDfAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZHEJAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZHEcAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZK2YAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZLTUAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZLUMAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZLVFQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZLVWwA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZLXBQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZLbEwA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZOXQgA"></embed>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/events/oasp'>http://editors.cis-india.org/events/oasp</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-05T04:39:39ZEventScholarly Communication in the Age of the Commons
http://editors.cis-india.org/events/scholarly-communication-in-the-age-of-the-commons
<b>One-day conference on Open Access</b>
Organised by National Aerospace Laboratories (as a part of their Golden
Jubilee celebrations), Indian Academy of Sciences and Centre for
Internet and Society
<h3>
Background<br /></h3>
<p>
Open-access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. OA removes price
barriers (subscriptions, licensing fees, pay-per-view fees) and
permission barriers (most copyright and licensing restrictions) and
ensures free availability and unrestricted use.</p>
<p>In today’s knowledge-based society, the advent of the Internet and
widespread and easy access to scientific information are facilitating
research and innovation. Open Access is not only changing the nature of
scholarly communication but even the way research is carried out.
Indeed Open Access is the bedrock on which the emerging Global Research
Library initiative is being built.</p>
<p>
Scientists and scientific institutions in India - some of them, to be
precise - have moved up in the value chain in that they access
information and disseminate their findings often through barrier-free
electronic channels. Out of about 3,900 open access journals, India
accounts for 108 titles as seen from the Directory of Open Access
Journals. The major Indian publishers of OA journals are Indian Academy
of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, MedKnow Publications and
National Informatics Centre. According to the Registry of Open Access
Repositories there are 40 open access repositories in India including
those at Indian Institute of Science, National Aerospace Laboratories,
National Institute of Oceanography, Raman Research Institute, National
Institute of Technology - Rourkela, and Indian Institutes of
Technology. Prof. Samir Brahmachari, Director General of CSIR, has
initiated the Open Source Drug Discovery programme as an alternative to
the traditional patent-driven model of drug research. Recently CSIR
has adopted an open access policy. Indian National Science Academy is
one of the early signatories to the Berlin Declaration.</p>
<p>
Thus Open Access - both for accessing worldwide information and for
making our own research more visible - is not new to India. But one
must admit that considering the size of India's research and higher
education enterprise what we have achieved so far is utterly inadequate
and incommensurate with our ambition to become a knowledge power. We
have a long way to go. And the first step is to adopt open access
nationwide.</p>
<p>
This one-day “Conference on Scholarly Communication in India in the Age
of the Commons” is organized to take stock of the current developments
in Open Access and to highlight the issues that would need to be
addressed to enable a wider access to scientific knowledge and to
enhance the visibility of research performed in India.</p>
<h3><strong>Date and Time</strong><br /></h3>
<strong></strong>
<p>26 March 2009; 9.30 am - 5.00 pm</p>
<h3>Venue <br /></h3>
<p>S R Valluri Auditorium, National Aerospace Laboratories, (Old) Airport Road, Bangalore</p>
<h3>Speakers</h3>
<p>Speakers at the event include:</p>
Prof Leslie Chan, University of Toronto and Bioline International <a href="http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/%7Echan/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~chan/</a>
<p>Prof John Willinsky, Stanford University and Public Knowledge Project <a class="external-link" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Willinsky">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Willinsky</a></p>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Willinsky" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>
<p>Please see the programme below for names of the other speakers.</p>
<h3>Contact <br /></h3>
<p>Dr I R N Goudar</p>
<p>Scientist ‘G’ and Head, ICAST</p>
<p>National Aerospace Laboratories</p>
<p>
Airport Road, Bangalore-560017</p>
<p>Telephone: (+91) 80 2508 6080</p>
<p>Fax: (+91) 80 2526 0862</p>
<p>Email: goudar@nal.res.in</p>
<p>While you can register on the spot, we encourage you to kindly register through e-mail. Please provide name, designation, address, contact telephone number and e-mail address. Participants may make their own arrangements for travel and accommodation.</p>
<h3>Programme</h3>
<p><strong>9.30 am-10.15 am -- Inaugural session</strong></p>
<p>Welcome by Dr I R N Goudar</p>
<p>About the conference: Prof Subbiah Arunachalam</p>
<p>Talk by Prof D Balasubramanian</p>
Remarks by Dr A R Upadhya
<p> </p>
<p><strong>10.15 am-10.45 am -- Tea</strong></p>
<p><strong><br /></strong></p>
<p><strong>10.45 am-11.35 am -- Prof Leslie Chan, University of Toronto and Bioline International</strong></p>
<p><strong><br /></strong></p>
<p><strong>11.35 am-12.25 pm -- Prof John Willinsky, Stanford University and Public Knowledge Project</strong></p>
<p><strong><br /></strong></p>
<p><strong>12.25 pm-1.15 pm -- Dr D K Sahu, MedKnow Publications</strong></p>
<p><strong><br /></strong></p>
<p><strong>1.15 pm-2.15 pm -- Lunch</strong></p>
<p><strong><br /></strong></p>
<p><strong>2.15 pm-2.45 pm -- Mr Sunil Abraham, Centre for Internet and Society</strong></p>
<p><strong><br /></strong></p>
<p><strong>2.45 pm-4.15 pm -- Panel discussion</strong></p>
<p>Moderator: Prof P Balaram</p>
<p>Panelists: Subbiah Arunachalam, Leslie Chan, N V Sathyanarayana, A R Upadhya, and John Willinsky</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>4.15 pm -- Tea</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
VIDEOS
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGTmg0A"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGTmmwA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGTnVsA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGTnjwA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGTujAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGTunUA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGTvB0A"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGTvRkA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGTvV4A"></embed>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/events/scholarly-communication-in-the-age-of-the-commons'>http://editors.cis-india.org/events/scholarly-communication-in-the-age-of-the-commons</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-05T04:37:37ZEventWikipedia and Free Culture
http://editors.cis-india.org/events/wikipedia-and-free-culture
<b>Bangalore International Centre, in collaboration with the Centre for Internet and Society, hosts a discussion focusing on Wikipedia and free culture, with Jimmy Wales (Founder, Wikipedia) and Sue Gardner (Wikimedia Foundation)</b>
<p>Bangalore International Centre, in collaboration with the Centre for Internet and Society, </p>
<p>cordially invites you to an interactive discussion</p>
<p><em><strong>Wikipedia and Free Culture</strong></em></p>
<p>with</p>
<p><strong>Jimmy "Jimbo" Wales</strong></p>
<p><em>Founder, Wikipedia </em></p>
<p>and</p>
<p><strong>Sue Gardner</strong></p>
<p><em>Executive Director, Wikimedia Foundation</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, will deliver a presentation about the history, growth, and prominence of Wikipedia on the internet today. Since its inception in 2001, Wikipedia has risen quickly to become the largest information resource and free knowledge repository in history, now with over 11 million articles in over 250 unique language editions.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sue Gardner, Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation, will speak on the origins of the Wikimedia Foundation, the San Francisco based non profit organisation that operates Wikimedia and other free knowledge projects.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lawrence Liang, member, Alternative Law Forum, and author of <em>A Guide to Open Content Licences</em>, will steer the discussions.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Date and Time:</strong> Saturday, 13 December 2008, 6.00 pm-8.00 pm</p>
<p><strong>Venue: </strong></p>
<p>Bangalore International Centre Auditorium</p>
<p>TERI Complex,</p>
<p>4th Main, 2nd Cross,</p>
<p>Domlur II Stage,</p>
<p>Bangalore 560 071</p>
<p><strong>Registration: </strong></p>
<p>Please register for the event with the Bangalore International Centre (phone: +91 80 2535 9680).</p>
<h3>Videos<br /></h3>
<iframe src="http://blip.tv/play/AYLV9RMA.html" frameborder="0" height="250" width="250"></iframe><embed style="display:none" src="http://a.blip.tv/api.swf#AYLV9RMA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/events/wikipedia-and-free-culture'>http://editors.cis-india.org/events/wikipedia-and-free-culture</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-10-21T08:31:01ZEventBerlin 6 Open Access Conference
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/berlin-6-open-access-conference
<b>The Berlin 6 Open Access conference was attended by Subbiah Arunachalam, Centre for Internet and Society Distinguished Fellow. </b>
<p>Subbiah Arunachalam, Centre for Internet and Society
Distinguished Fellow, attended the Berlin 6 Open Access conference (<a href="http://www.berlin6.org/" target="_blank">www.berlin6.org</a>), held in Dusseldorf
from 11 to 13 November 2008. Berlin 6 is the fifth follow-up conference to the drafting sessions for the <a href="http://oa.mpg.de/openaccess-berlin/berlindeclaration.html">Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities.</a></p>
<p>Subbiah Arunachalam is a member of the Programme Committee
of the Berlin series of conferences, and this year chaired the session on Open Access
for Development, which looked at the status of open access in developing countries
and the factors inhibiting progress in this area. The speakers at this session
were Dev Kumar Sahu (MedKnow, India), Eve Gray (Eve Gray & Associates/Open
Society Institute, South Africa), Solange M Santos (BIREME/PAHO/SciELO, Brazil)
and Subbiah Arunachalam himself. Their presentations are available on the
conference website (<a href="http://www.berlin6.org/?page_id=70">http://www.berlin6.org/?page_id=70</a>).</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/berlin-6-open-access-conference'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/berlin-6-open-access-conference</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-02T16:16:16ZNews ItemSoftware patenting will harm industry, consumer
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/software-patenting-will-harm-industry-consumer
<b>Report by Deepa Kurup in The Hindu dated 5th October 2008 as follow-up to the national meeting on software patents. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/05/stories/2008100559810400.htm">Original article on The Hindu website</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">BANGALORE: Living up to its status as the country’s Information Technology (IT) capital, Bangalore played host to a different kind of “software lobby” here on Saturday.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Unlike most lobbies, this one had no vested interests and no hard-line agenda. In a bid to raise awareness about software patenting and generate a debate among stakeholders, the Free Software community from across the country participated in a national-level meeting against software patents.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Public hearings</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">This open meeting comes in the wake of the public hearings being conducted by the Indian Patent Office to discuss the recently formulated patent manual. The office has shelved all discussion on software patents and promised an exclusive meeting with stakeholders. Nearly 20 organisations and various stakeholders who participated in the hearing threw up issues ranging from patent laws and principles in general, to specific issues of the “software per se” clause in the patent manual. Submissions made by many stakeholders to the patent office were also discussed.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The meeting was held to discuss the recent modification to the manual, which is being interpreted as a move to make “software in combination with hardware” patentable. As of now, software comes under the copyright law.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">This move is significant because a similar ordinance was scrapped by the Parliament in 2005. The Free Software community feels that the clause panders to the powerful IT and multi-national companies lobby that has been rooting for this legislation.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Copyright</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Speaking at the meeting, Venkatesh Hariharan of Red Hat said that software was protected by copyright and additional protection was more harmful for the industry and the consumer as a whole.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“Patent is a state-granted monopoly, but copyright protects the expression of an idea and a code is safe as long as one can prove that he has arrived at it independently,” he said.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">As a sole representative of any government body, Joseph Mathew, Special IT advisor to the Government of Kerala, made a presentation of his government’s stand on software patents.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“The manual should not have brought this up again, considering Parliament scrapped it in 2005. We hope it is a clerical error and the Kerala Government will consider writing to the Union Government and the patent office informing them of our opposition to this issue,” Mr. Mathew said.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Small and medium enterprises which use Free Software such as Zyxware from Trivandrum, Deep Root Linux and Turtle Linux from Bangalore, among others made presentations at the meeting. Several research and advocacy organisations such as the Centre for Internet and Society and the Delhi Science Forum put forth various facets of this debate.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Lack of clarity</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“The lack of clarity in the Patent Act results is being wrestled aggressively and effectively by corporate interests, patent attorneys and the patent office in favour of granting software patents. This meeting helped bring together the counter-opinions in this matter, and we will go ahead and participate in any meeting that will be called for by the authorities,” said Sunil Abraham of the Centre for Internet and Society.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/software-patenting-will-harm-industry-consumer'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/software-patenting-will-harm-industry-consumer</a>
</p>
No publisherpraneshOpenness2013-01-16T04:54:42ZNews ItemThe National Public Meeting on Software Patents
http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/the-national-public-meeting-on-software-patents
<b>On Saturday, October 4, 2008, the Centre for Internet and Society, with the support of eighteen other organization, held a meeting on the National Public Meeting on Software Patents in the United Theological College campus. The aim of the event was to explore various issues surrounding software patents, especially from the perspective of the draft Patent Manual.</b>
<p>After introductions by <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/../../about-us/people/staff/staff#sunil-abraham" class="external-link">Sunil Abraham</a> of CIS, the discussions were kicked off by <a class="external-link" href="http://www.nls.ac.in/faculty_sudhir.html">Sudhir Krishnaswamy</a> (an Assistant Professor at National Law School), who spoke about typology of laws; principle-based arguments for excluding software from patenting; policy-based arguments for the same; and lastly, strategies for combating the patent manual. About the rationale behind excepting software ("computer programmes <em>per se</em>") from patentability, he theorised that given the location of "computer programmes <em>per se</em>" in section 3(k) of the Act, surrounded as it is by "mathematical or business method" and "algorithms", the exception seems to be a principle-based one and not a policy-based one. He also talked about what he saw as the practical realities of the Patent Office, and questioned the role the Draft Manual would actually play in the decisions of Patent Examiners.<br /><br />He listed out economic arguments as:</p>
<ol><li>Inapplicability of the incentive arguments. The software industry does not need patents since copyright covers software, and even if incentives are required, that is incentive enough;</li><li>Return on investment. Short shelf-life, and hence 17-year patent terms are irrelevant when the shelf-life is so small;</li><li>New intermediaries are created, who are neither producers nor consumers of software. These intermediaries who help in price-discovery. They discover value in patents which were previously thought neglected by the process known as patent trolling. </li></ol>
<p><br />Apart from these, he also briefly talked of the legal arguments around software patents, and argued that the question is not only about copyright vs. patent, but also about property vs. contract. He asked questions such as: "What role does copyright play in the software industry, or is contract more important?", and pointed out that while this might have been addressed around a decade ago, those questions need to be revisited given the current scenario. Further, he proposed that the strategies should not revolve solely around the Patent Act and Draft Manual, but around pre- and post-grant oppositions as well.<br /><br /><img class="image-right" src="../NMoSP%20005.jpg/image_mini" alt="Prabir Purkayastha" />Prabir Purkayastha of the Delhi Science Forum and Knowledge Commons spoke next, giving a quick run-through of the history, both legal and philosophical, surrounding software patents in India and in the U.S. and Europe (pointing out that most of the wordings of Draft Manual on this point are borrowed from a similar document in the U.K.). He asked the question of why people are opposing software patents. Is it because it is damaging to 'public interest', because it bad for Indian domestic software industry, or because it is an abstract idea which is sought to be patented in the guise of something else? He concluded that ultimately it is not the manual that groups are opposing, but the notion of software patents themselves. Thus, he focussed on how the phrase <em>"per se</em>" used in the Act ought to be interpreted by the Patent Office so as to give credence to the Indian Parliament's rejection (in 2005) of the 2004 patent ordinance (in which section 3(k) read: "a computer programme <em>per se</em> other than its technical application to industry or a combination with hardware"). Lastly, he talked about the various strategies to be employed in the fight against software patents, including pre- and post-grant oppositions.<br /><br /><a class="external-link" href="http://www.gnu.org.in/about-fsf-india/whos-who">Dr. Nagarjuna G.</a> of the Free Software Foundation of India focussed on what he termed "the absurdity of software patents". He emphasised how software requires an interpreter or hardware, and hence talk of "software <em>per se</em>" often becomes meaningless. Further, he underlined how embedding software in hardware was not innovation in itself, and stressed ont he changing notions of software and hardware as we evolve technologically. His equation of software with abstract ideas gives us a glimpse into the foundation of his objection to software patents.<br /><br /><img class="image-left" src="../PrashantIyengar.jpg/image_mini" alt="Prashant Iyengar" />First up in the second session (which was more focussed on the manual, and the law in India) was <a class="external-link" href="http://www.altlawforum.org/OUR_TEAM/profile">Prashant Iyengar</a> of the Bangalore-based Alternative Law Forum. He first listed out the different kinds of objections to software patents, including the point that there are only limited ways of thinking about programming, as Donald Knuth's <em><a class="external-link" href="http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/taocp.html">The Art of Computer Programming</a> </em>shows. Then he went on to go through the history of software patents in India, from the first software patent, granted in 1996, through the 2002 Amendment, the 2004 Ordinance, the 2005 Amendment, and the 2005 and 2008 Draft Manuals. He looked at the vocabulary surrounding software patents, including the words "<em>per se</em>" and "as such", and the cases and legislations from which the language used in the Draft Manual might have been borrowed. He also started a fruitful debate on the different ways to attack the implicit inclusion of that which is not "computer programmes <em>per se</em>" within the scope of patentable subject matter.<br /><br />After Prashant was Venkatesh Hariharan of Red Hat. He spoke on the practical benefits and harms of software patents, and spoke at length about the difference between legal protection of software in the form of patents and via copyright. He pointed to data showing that lawyers are the ones who benefit most from software patents, and that software developers were the ones who suffered most. Pointing to such practical issues such as how does one go about coding a simple e-commerce transaction when more than 4000 patents have already been granted in that area, he brought down the level of discussion from abstract notions of laws and legalities to practical experiences of software programmers.<br /><br />Next, Pranesh Prakash of the Centre for Internet and Society made a presentation on a small sample of software patents that have been applied for in India, and pointed out the infirmities in both the patents that have been applied for, as well as the problems in uncovering these patents because of various errors on the Indian Patent Office website. Going through a few of the patent applications, he showed how a great number applications have very badly worded abstracts, filled with weasel words, whose sole purpose is obfuscating the fact that what is being applied for is a software patent. This, he pointed out, made it difficult to both determine the scope of the applications (subject matter) as well as the innovations contained in the invention (novelty and non-obviousness), and thus difficult to examine from the perspective of pre-grant oppositions.<br /><br />After these presentations, the meeting continued with the Open House session which had many people making presentations, including Abhas Abhinav of <a class="external-link" href="http://www.deeproot.co.in/">DeepRoot Linux</a>, Arun M. of <a class="external-link" href="http://www.gnu.org.in">FSF India</a>, and Joseph C. Matthew, who is the IT Adviser to the Chief Minister, Kerala. With the wrapping up of this session, the proceedings for the day came to a close.</p>
<p> </p>
<h3>Coverage in the press<br /></h3>
<ul><li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/world-day-against-software-patents" class="internal-link" title="World Day Against Software Patents">The Hindu (September 25, 2008) - World Day Against Software Patents</a></li><li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/time-out-bengaluru-software-patenting" class="internal-link" title="Time Out Bengaluru - Software Patenting">Time Out Bengaluru (October 3, 2008) - Software Patenting</a></li><li><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/software-patenting-will-harm-industry-consumer" class="internal-link" title="Software patenting will harm industry, consumer">The Hindu (October 5, 2008) - Software patenting will harm industry, consumer</a><br /></li></ul>
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<h3>Audio Recordings and Slides<br /></h3>
<div>
<ul>
<li>The Principles of Patent Law and Introduction to Software Patents</li>
<ul><li>Sudhir Krishnaswamy (National Law School) | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/02.%20Sudhir%20Krishnaswamy.mp3" class="internal-link" title="The Principles of Patent Law and Introduction to Software Patents">mp3</a> | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/02.%20Sudhir%20Krishnaswamy.ogg" class="internal-link" title="The Principles of Patent Law and Introduction to Software Patents">ogg</a></li><li>Prabir Purkayastha(Delhi Sience Forum) (Knowledge Commons) |<a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/03.%20Prabir%20Purkayastha.mp3" class="internal-link" title="The Principles of Patent Law and Introduction to Software Patents">mp3</a> | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/03.%20Prabir%20Purkayastha.ogg" class="internal-link" title="The Principles of Patent Law and Introduction to Software Patents">ogg</a></li><li>Nagarjuna G.(Free Software Foundation of India) | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/04.%20Nagarjuna%20G..mp3" class="internal-link" title="The Principles of Patent Law and Introduction to Software Patents">mp3</a> | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/04.%20Nagarjuna%20G..ogg" class="internal-link" title="The Principles of Patent Law and Introduction to Software Patents">ogg</a></li></ul>
<li>Software Patents in India: The Indian Patent Act and the Draft Patent Manual</li>
<ul><li>Prashant Iyengar(Alternative Law Forum) | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/05.%20Prashant%20Iyengar.mp3" class="internal-link" title="Software Patents in India - The Indian Patent Act and the Draft Patent Manual">mp3</a> | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/05.%20Prashant%20Iyengar.ogg" class="internal-link" title="Software Patents in India - The Indian Patent Act and the Draft Patent Manual">ogg</a></li><li style="text-align: left;">Venkatesh Hariharan(Red Hat) | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/06.%20Venkatesh%20Hariharan.mp3" class="internal-link" title="Software Patents in India - The Indian Patent Act and the Draft Patent Manual">mp3</a> | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/06.%20Venkatesh%20Hariharan.ogg" class="internal-link" title="Software Patents in India - The Indian Patent Act and the Draft Patent Manual">ogg</a></li></ul>
<li>Software Patent Applications in India</li>
<ul><li>Pranesh Prakash (Centre for Internet and Society) | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/07.%20Pranesh%20Prakash.mp3" class="internal-link" title="Presentation on Software Patents Applied for in India">mp3</a> | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/07.%20Pranesh%20Prakash.ogg" class="internal-link" title="Presentation on Software Patents Applied for in India">ogg</a> | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/pranesh-software-patents-draft.ppt" class="internal-link" title="software patent draft pranesh">ppt</a><br /></li></ul>
<li>Open House <br /></li>
<ul><li>Abhas Abhinav (DeepRoot Linux) | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/08.%20Abhas%20Abhinav.mp3" class="internal-link" title="Open House">mp3</a> | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/09.%20Arun%20M..mp3" class="internal-link" title="Open House">ogg</a></li></ul>
<ul><li>Arun M.(Free Software Foundation of India)| <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/09.%20Arun%20M..mp3" class="internal-link" title="Open House">mp3</a> | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/09.%20Arun%20M..ogg" class="internal-link" title="Open House">ogg</a></li><li>Joseph Mathew (IT Adviser to the Chief Minister, Kerala)| <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/10.%20Joseph%20Mathew.mp3" class="internal-link" title="Open House">mp3</a> | <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/uploads/10.%20Joseph%20Mathew.ogg" class="internal-link" title="Open House">ogg</a></li></ul>
</ul>
</div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/the-national-public-meeting-on-software-patents'>http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/the-national-public-meeting-on-software-patents</a>
</p>
No publisherpraneshConferenceCampaignSoftware PatentsFLOSSOpennessMeeting2011-08-23T03:02:56ZBlog EntryOpen Access Day
http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/content-access/open-access-day
<b>October 14, 2008 will be the world’s first Open Access Day. The founding partners for this Day are SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), Students for FreeCulture, and the Public Library of Science.
</b>
<p align="left"> The Centre for Culture, Media & Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and the Cente for Internet and
Society, Bangalore, request your presence at
the celebrations of the first Open
Access Day. Speaker include Prof. Andrew Lynn, Department of Bio-informatics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Prof. Subbiah Arunachalam, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Internet and Society.</p>
<p align="left">Venue: Tagore Hall, Dayar-i-Mir Taqi Mir, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.</p>
<p align="left"><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/content-access/agenda" class="internal-link" title="Agenda">Agenda</a></p>
<p align="left"><a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/content-access/about-open-access-day" class="internal-link" title="About Open Access Day">About Open Access Day</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/content-access/open-access-day'>http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/content-access/open-access-day</a>
</p>
No publishersunilOpenness2011-04-05T04:45:17ZEventDraft Report on Open Government Data in India (v2)
http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/ogd-draft-v2
<b></b>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/ogd-draft-v2'>http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/ogd-draft-v2</a>
</p>
No publisherpraneshOpen DataPublicationsOpenness2011-08-23T02:47:22ZFileGlossary
http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/glossary.pdf
<b>pdf</b>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/glossary.pdf'>http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/glossary.pdf</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaConferenceOpennessWorkshop2011-08-23T02:45:45ZFileCase Studies
http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/case-studies.pdf
<b>See the case studies</b>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/case-studies.pdf'>http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/case-studies.pdf</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaConferenceOpenness2011-08-24T07:54:15ZFileDesign! Public
http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/design-public.pdf
<b>pdf file</b>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/design-public.pdf'>http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/publications/design-public.pdf</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaConferenceOpennessWorkshop2011-08-23T02:44:24ZFile