AL AIN — Challenges faced by authors, scholars and librarians were discussed at the first copyright conference which opened in Al Ain yesterday.Inaugurated by Dr Hadef bin Joan Al Dhahry, the UAE University’s Vice Chancellor, at Al Ain Inter-Continental Resort and hosted by the UAEU Research Affairs and Libraries Wing, the two-day conference will discuss copyright laws in the UAE.
Prof Kenneth Crews from Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis and Director of Copyright Management Centre, was the key speaker yesterday.
His paper, titled ‘Background and Principles: An Overview of Copyright’, discussed the copyright laws of the UAE, in particular, and other countries, in general.
The copyright law reflects a country’s balancing of the desire to reward authors and to give the public the right to use, enjoy, and build upon protected works, he said.
“As a result, we can find some similarities in the basic structure of the copyright law around the world. This presentation identifies fundamental elements of that structure and underscore places where any country has the opportunity to be flexible and experiment with the law in order to address a mix of objectives that are important to copyright,” Prof Crews said.
The conference will discuss challenges faced by today’s educators, librarians, scholars and their patrons to ensure the widest access to intellectual works while protecting the intellectual property of copyright holders. The conference is a starting point for the academic community to address the issues and impact of the UAE and international copyright laws in research.
