Access to Digital Information: Gift or Right?

The 21st century started with a bang, at least from the perspective of the widespread adoption of information technologies, and market hype for overvalued technology stock. There was a second bang shortly afterwards, when the bubble burst. We are now entering a period of greater stability for the appreciation of information technology in society, as well as sustained development, albeit in a financial environment that has become uncertain. This collection of essays addresses some of the issues that face our society in deciding how best to handle access to, and monopolies over, knowledge. It includes detailed examination of the social, political and legal implications of free and open source software. As well it looks at the future of copyright in the digital age. This book arose out of a conference held in April 2007 at the University of Western Ontario Faculty of Law. The conference was a collaborative research exercise between the University of Western Ontario and The Queensland University of Technology