Introduction:
This report presents the key outcomes and recommendations of an online discussion that was held between July 20 and August 21, 2005 to raise awareness of the critical issues around Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for Africa. The discussion, hosted by the Centre for International ICT Policy for West and Central Africa (CIPACO) and the Collaboration for International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) attracted a wide range of individuals and organisations. These included; policy makers, academicians, private sector representatives from the entertainment and creative industries, artists, journalists, lawyers and the general public interested in IPR issues in Africa.
The need to involve a large network of participants in the discussion was based on the recommendations of the Louder Voices Report1, which noted an increase in the “new actors” that currently participate in meetings and deliberations on international ICT issues. The report, prepared for DfID and the G8 Dot Force Implementation Team, names the “new actors” as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), business community organisations (BCOs), academics, researchers, policy advisors and regulatory practitioners. It names commercial actors in the ICT industry such as those involved in computer sales and national and regional regulatory authorities.
To encourage collaboration and exchange across language and regional boundaries in Africa, the discussion was conducted in French and English simultaneously. Translations or summaries of “important” mails were provided while links to tools for automatic translation were provided to enable participants to post in both languages. The different topics and themes were introduced by moderators who also facilitated the discussion. In addition, international experts on specific topics contributed specifically to their areas of expertise.
Topics discussed during the debate:
o Overview of the existing IPR tools and legal processes for Africa;
o The impact of the emergence of the Information Society on the traditional concept of IPR;
o Strategies to address IPR issues in Africa such as copyright and patents;
o The pros and cons of the international legal instruments to protect IPR on Africa;
o Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and IPR: How “free” would you like your “open source”?
Expectations of the debate:
Participants in this debate were expected to:
o Examine the IPR legal instruments and their implications for Africa;
o Exchange views on addressing the emerging IPR issues in light of the Information
Society;
o Explore the debate of FOSS and how copyright issues might facilitate or undermine its use in Africa;
o Make recommendations on the key issues around IPR for Africa.   

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