Rethinking Copyright for Sustainable Human Development：Higher Education and Access to Knowledge

This book explores the interface between copyright and higher education, and their complementarities for the advancement of sustainable human development. The concept of human development defines the freedoms and human capabilities that are essential for human flourishing. Adopting a rights-based human development and capability approach, the book primarily examines the relevant policy and legal flexibilities under the existing international copyright system and their implications for access to knowledge for creative innovation and higher education.

Exploring the interfaces between copyright and higher education, the book argues that an unbalanced and restrictive copyright system impedes reasonable access to knowledge and stifles creative and learning freedoms or capabilities, resulting in serious ramifications for sustainable human development. In view of its findings, the book underscores the need for rethinking copyright and reframing its relevant flexibilities as users-rights that are vital for promoting creative and learning capabilities towards sustainable human development. Further, the book emphasizes the complementarities between copyright and higher education, and their roles for sustainable human development.

Given its multifaceted explorations of ranges of interlinked topics through the lens of the human development approach, the book will be of a great interest to researchers across the fields of intellectual property law, innovation, global development, human rights, and higher education.