Latest update February 21st, 2025 12:47 PM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

An absurd and disgraceful position

Sep 25, 2012 Letters

 

Dear Editor,
I was invited to make a keynote address to the UG Students for Social Change on the topic “Legislating as a means of Effecting Policy Changes.” It is not important that the invitation to me did not indicate that there would be four panelists comprising the Government, the PPP/C, APNU and the AFC.  Nor that ‘certain politicians” had insisted that they would only participate if they were given the same time to speak as I was given.
What is important for purposes of this letter is that in the course of the question-and-answer session following the presentations, Ms. Gail Teixeira, Presidential Advisor on Governance, was categorical that her Government did not wish to be distracted by copyright laws and was only interested in reducing the cost of school books.
Displaying an enormous insensitivity to Guyana’s obligations under the rules of the World Trade Organisation/WIPO; and under the Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU and the Revised Treaty of Chagauramas, she dismissed authors’ rights as property and questioned why copyright had to last more than a few years.
Even if the Governance czar does not know that the rule of law is the first requirement of governance, I had hoped she would understand that her economic and political case could be met by the Government contracting for the writing of the required textbooks. The government could then be free to grant the right to any and every one to copy as they please.
The issue of respect the intellectual property of writers was strongly supported by Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan of the AFC. But I was extremely disappointed that Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, who like Ms. Teixeira is a member of the Council of the University of Guyana, did not offer a comment on Ms. Teixeira’s absurd and disgraceful position.
Christopher Ram

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 14th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Everest Masters to engage Costa Rica in T20 fixtures

Everest Masters to engage Costa Rica in T20 fixtures

Feb 21, 2025

Kaieteur Sports- The Everest Cricket Club Masters will take on host Costa Rica in several T20 matches over the weekend. The squad departed Guyana on Wednesday and skipper Rajesh Singh expressed...
Read More
GCB saddened at passing of Former GCB Vice-President, BCB President Lennox Phillips

GCB saddened at passing of Former GCB...

Feb 21, 2025

Guyana/Barbados battle as opening round gets underway from February 24

Guyana/Barbados battle as opening round gets...

Feb 21, 2025

ESCL T20 starts March 2

ESCL T20 starts March 2

Feb 21, 2025

Guyana boys team selected for 2025 PAHF Jr Challenge

Guyana boys team selected for 2025 PAHF Jr...

Feb 20, 2025

Mainstay Goldstar FC receives NSC support ahead of GFF Elite League debut

Mainstay Goldstar FC receives NSC support ahead...

Feb 20, 2025

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]