Knowledge production from an African perspective: International information flows and intellectual property

This paper investigates current trends in knowledge production and the impact that they have on the international flow of information. Three directions of information flow (North-South, South-North and South-South) are investigated from an African perspective. A moral rather than a legal view is taken of intellectual property. The authors' concern is that the balance between the public good and private interests has been disturbed. It is premised that there are general moral principles that can serve as a basis for decisions on North-South, South-North and South-South information flows. Three ethical pillars serve as a basis for reflection on current information flows. These are: social justice, human rights, and the concept of the common good. Current developments in scholarly publishing and intellectual property rights that affect the North-South information flow are examined, and responses to the growing imbalance between rights holders and authors, such as the open access movement, are considered. These developments also affect South-North information flows, where both exploitation and neglect of Africa's knowledge resources need to be countered. Lastly, South-South information flows between African countries are considered.