The ACA2K network has just finalised its Methodology Guide, which is a roadmap for the project’s research and policy engagement between now and early 2010. You can view the guide by following the first of the three links listed below.

The African Copyright & Access to Knowledge (ACA2K) Project is probing the relationship in African countries between national copyright environments and access to hard-copy and digital learning materials. The project is probing this relationship within an access to knowledge (A2K) framework – a framework which regards the protection/promotion of user access as one of the central objectives of copyright law.
This project, supported by Canada’s IDRC and South Africa’s Shuttleworth Foundation, and managed by the Wits University LINK Centre in Johannesburg, began in October 2007 with legal researchers in five African countries (Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda) preparing initial “environmental scans” of the copyright contexts in their countries.

Based on this Guide, the ACA2K team will gather research evidence, and engage with policymakers, in an effort to ensure maximum use of copyright law flexibilities that have the potential to increase learning materials access in the study countries. Access to both digital and hard-copy resources will be probed.
The Guide outlines the two main ACA2K project components: 1) Research; 2) Dissemination & Policy Engagement.

In the Research Component (mid-2008 to mid-2009), there shall be:

• data collection in each of the eight study countries, based on two methodologies (a legislative/policy doctrinal review and qualitative impact assessment interviews);
• writing up of Country Reviews and Executive Policy Briefs for each of the eight study countries, based on a fusion of the doctrinal and interview data; and
• a Comparative Review report, drawing comparisons, contrasts and lessons from the findings across all of the study countries.

In the Dissemination & Policy Dialogue Component (mid-2009 to early 2010), there shall be:

• distribution of project findings and document outputs via the project website and national, regional and international fora; and
• National Policy Dialogue Seminars in each of the eight study countries, at which project findings and policy recommendations will be presented directly to relevant stakeholders.