Liberando la creatividad. Nuevas visiones sobre los derechos de autor en la era digital

"Freeing Creativity: New visions on copyright" (Liberando la creatividad: nuevas visiones sobre derechos de autor) was a public seminar to discuss the risks associated with maintaining and strengthening copyright protection laws. The seminar was held on 25 February at the Pontífica Universidad Católica in Lima, Peru and included five expert speakers, including DIRSI coordinator Jorge Bossio.

Oscar Montezuma, a lawyer and promotor of Creative Commons Perú and currently member of the Copyright Commission of Indecopi – Peru's National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property. Montezuma presented the current law and the importance of making it more flexible.

Alberto Durant, filmmaker and author of the book “¿Y dónde está el pirata?” (And where is the pirate?) presented what he believes are five fictions related to piracy, including that it affects authors, that the film industry is suffering because of it, and that the vendors of pirated copies are making fortunes.

Roberto Bustamante, anthropologist and well-known Peruvian blogger, presented an historical analysis of copyright protection, focusing on incentives for authors and the importance of intermediaries in distributing (or censoring) culture and knowledge.

Jorge Bossio, DIRSI researcher and coordinator, questioned current tendancies that seek to control the flow of content in internet using excuses like the defense of intellectual property, the fight against organised crime, and protection of youth. He showed how, despite laws that prohibit it, Peruvian telecommunications operators include clauses in their contracts that refer to the content of communications in internet and the uses that can be made of the service. Bossio invited the audience to join the debate about digital rights in Peru - Derechos Digitales en el Perú.

Finally, George Yúdice, professor at the University of Miami, presented some possible alternative models for negotiating copyright based on the concept of open knowledge o free culture (cultura libre) such as those that Lawrence Lessig promotes based on experiences discussed in his recent book (último libro) about music and new technologies.

The moderator was Santiago Alfaro, anthropologist and expert in cultural management.

Website of the event: Liberando la creatividad: nuevas visiones sobre derechos de autor