Alaa Al Aswany: freedom to publish at all-time worst in Egypt
Intentionally or not, Egyptian police marked World Press Freedom on 3 May by raiding the Syndicate of Journalists, in Cairo, and arresting two journalists.
What does the German copyright levy ruling mean for European publishing?
The recent German Federal Supreme Court ruling that called time on the decades-old practice of apportioning copyright levies between authors and publishers has sent shockwaves through the country’s publishing industry.
Michael Fraser: powerful social forces are attacking copyright
In 1985, Professor Michael Fraser entered the complex world of copyright by accident. Having casually responded to a job ad in the Sydney Morning Herald (and having got the job as ‘the only applicant wearing a tie’), the young Michael Fraser’s career began with a three-week investigation into the growing problem of photocopying, for the Australian Copyright Council.
Kenya: VAT on books is harming the quality of public education
Three years after the Kenyan government introduced VAT on books, the country’s publishing and bookselling industries – of which educational books represent 85% – have been decimated by the move, according to the Kenyan Publishers Association (KPA).