Archive:A2K

A2K (Access to Knowledge) campaign

''Access to Knowledge. It's Essential.''

A2K wiki areas
 * A2KDev: website development
 * A2KFeeds: RSS feeds related to A2K
 * A2KLogo: drafting area for A2K logo
 * A2KWatch: notes for a country by country index of A2K
 * A2KText: draft texts for A2K campaign site

Background A treaty on Access to Knowledge (A2K) is meant to be a new, binding, international legal instrument that would require all countries to provide a minimum level of exceptions to patents, copyright, and trademarks. For example, just as the Doha exception to the WTO's TRIPS agreement ensure that countries can override pharmaceutical patents during major health crises, A2K would ensure that countries could override copyright for purposes of basic education.

The proposal to develop a new international treaty on Access to Knowledge (A2K) is gathering strength and momentum, with a good deal of buy-in from NGOs, developing country diplomats, and academics. The text of the treaty itself is advancing from first draft, to the incorporation of a round of comments post-London meeting, and A2K will easily continue to gather support at this stage. However, public presence of A2K is still limited to the (relatively) small circles of those who follow int'l policy, despite the natural affinity of many creative workers with A2K goals. The following is a brief outline of goals, timeline, and budget for developing a strong, public campaign around the A2K by using open, collaborative, distributed tools to bring in the energies of global networks of creative workers.

Goals
 * Develop strong graphic, web, and audiovisual campaign materials for A2K. This is the most 'tangible' goal, which will result from the success of the others. At the very minimum, we will end up with a strong set of graphic elements and materials that will help A2K build momentum: web design and tools for participation, logo, flyer, poster, and banner design, audiovisual shorts, and so on.


 * Bring communities of creative workers into active participation in A2K initiatives. This is doubly important, on the one hand for the success of the A2K treaty itself, but also because working on A2K will politicize more creative workers who will then also apply their skills to parallel and future initiatives towards knowledge liberation. (A2K as a treaty may come and go, but our goals - and the struggle towards them - will always remain; even if A2K goes down in flames, if we can effectively mobilize creative workers on this initiative we will be helping build stronger networks, tools, and practices for future victories).


 * 'Walk the walk:' demonstrate power of open, collaborative, distributed models applied to A2K campaign. If we can get this right, we'll be able to kick the ass of the corporate PR hacks who will be hired to attack the A2K. Every move they make, every pro-copyright, 'antipiracy' poster, website, and TV ad, our distributed network of creative workers will be able to cut-up, flip on its head, and do it better, cheaper, faster, funnier, bolder.

A2K CAMPAIGN STRUCTURE
 * Currently, A2K is a loose (informal) coalition. The drafting of the proposed A2K treaty text itself has been done through the A2K mailing list and several face to face meetings.
 * There was a proposal to formalize a drafting committee: http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/a2k/2005-May/000385.html
 * A Global Consumer Dialogue on A2K has been formed by Consumers International.