Copyright as an Engine of Censorship

Commentators have widely discussed the tension between copyright and free speech. One issue that has yet to be fully explored concerns the tension and conflict between copyright and free speech in countries that heavily restrict information flows or that substantially control cultural industries. Focusing on countries with heavy information control, this seminar will examine the need for greater copyright freedom to compensate for the lack of freedom of expression. It will further articulate how, in some countries, “creative reuse” could be transformed into “liberative reuse.”

Professor Peter Yu’s presentation will also highlight the free speech challenges in an environment where enforcement measures are increasingly strengthened and where criminal liability is introduced to address massive copyright infringement on the Internet. It concludes with some suggestions on how to harness the copyright system to promote free speech values and Internet freedom.

About the speaker

Peter K. Yu holds the Kern Family Chair in Intellectual Property Law and is the founding director of the Intellectual Property Law Center at Drake University Law School. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Professor Yu is a leading expert in international intellectual property and communications law. He also writes and lectures extensively on international trade, international and comparative law, and the transition of the legal systems in China and Hong Kong. A prolific scholar and an award-winning teacher, he is the author or editor of five books and more than 100 law review articles and book chapters.

Professor Yu has spoken at events organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Telecommunication Union, the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Chinese, U.S. and EU governments and at leading research institutions from around the world. His publications have appeared in Chinese and English and been translated into Arabic, French, Japanese, Persian, Portuguese, Spanish and Vietnamese. They are available on his website at www.peteryu.com.

Coffee, cookies, and fruits will be served. Everyone welcome.

Please confirm participation with Mr. Francis Lord at francis.lord [at] mail.mcgill.ca.

This activity was accredited for 1.5 hour of CLE by the Barreau du Québec (no. 10058303).