“To innovate, you need knowledge and inspiration. The copyright system must encourage the widest availability of knowledge,” says Karmen Linask, EIFL copyright coordinator in Estonia.

“Librarians take the long view. That’s why we advocate for copyright reforms to ensure that new knowledge is freely available to the researchers and innovators of today and tomorrow,” says Safia Rafikova, EIFL copyright coordinator in Kyrgyzstan.

These are just some of the answers librarians gave in a short survey EIFL conducted to mark World Intellectual Property Day 2017 (World IP Day), which takes place on 26 April.

World IP Day is an initiative of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). In 2017, the theme of World IP Day is how innovation is making our lives healthier, safer, and more comfortable, turning problems into progress.

In line with the theme of the day, EIFL asked librarians in 13 EIFL partner countries how we can ensure that copyright will support tomorrow’s innovators and the improvement of lives.

We’ve created a poster to share their answers. Read what librarians in Armenia, Botswana, Estonia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Poland, Serbia and Senegal said.

Learn more about the work of EIFL’s Copyright and Libraries Programme.