The high point of the IPA’s involvement was a session on Censorship in the Arab World: Restrictions Imposed on Cultural Expression and Its Impact on Creativity, chaired by Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi. The panel included authors from Tunisia, Lebanon and Egypt as well as the Chair of the IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee, Kristenn Einarsson. Mr Einarsson explained how the IPA fights for the freedom to publish, providing advice to our members and lobbying for change when laws put authors and publishers at risk.
Later in the conference, IPA Secretary General, José Borghino presented a worldwide view of the challenges of piracy from Russia to Peru and how fear of digital piracy holds back innovation and investment in digital markets, often in developing countries.
Mr Borghino said that publishers must combat piracy by ensuring that people had easy and affordable access to publications. But he also stressed that national and international copyright legislation needed to be strong to reward creativity and investment.
You can read more about IPA’s presence at the conference in Publishing Perspectives here and here, Nasher here and in Gulf Reporter.