[AfrICANN-discuss] on IBLS and its Africa Portal

[Anne-Rachel Inné]

http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_region.aspx?s=Africa&id=7

The Africa Section of this portal offers the following articles:

-An Increasing Number of Bloggers end up in Prison
 	Email Article
 	Editor, Maricelle Ruiz, IBLS Director – Europe, the Middle East and Africa
Monday, March 05, 2007
 	For three years, Egyptian blogger Abdelkareem Nabil Suleiman
allegedly used his blog as a platform to criticize religious and
authoritarian practices in his country, as well as Egypt's highest
religious institutions including the Sunni University of Al-Azhar,
where he attended law school. In November, law enforcement authorities
arrested the 22-year-old student. Last week, an Alexandria (Egypt)
judge sentenced him to four years in prison, three for disparaging
Islam and one for defaming President Hosni Mubarak in his online
journal.

- Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania adopt cyber laws
 	Email Article
 	Editor, Maricelle Ruiz, IBLS Director -- Africa
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
 	Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are in the process of adopting harmonized
cyber laws to enable the establishment of e-government and e-commerce
programs, according to the East African Community, the
intergovernmental organization representing these three countries with
a population totaling 82 million people. The cyber laws will cover
data security, network security, cyber crime, information systems and
electronic transactions

-  WIPO commends Morocco's IP initiatives
 	Email Article
 	Editor, Maricelle Ruiz, IBLS Director -- Africa
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
 	The World Intellectual Property Organization recently praised
Morocco's efforts to strengthen its Intellectual Property system and
pledged its continuous support. During a meeting at WIPO headquarters
in Geneva, WIPO Director General Kamil Idris congratulated Moroccan
Minister of Justice Mohammed Bouzoubaa for the country's "great
advances" in modernizing its IP capacity and infrastructure,
describing the North African nation as "a model for the region".

- South Africa has the lowest software piracy rate in Africa, while
Zimbabwe has the highest in the world
 	Email Article
 	Editor, Maricelle Ruiz, IBLS Director -- Africa
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
 	With a 36% software piracy rate, South Africa has the lowest rate in
Africa and is just one percentage point above the global average of
35%, according to the Third Annual BSA and IDC Global Software Piracy
Study released recently. South Africa's piracy rate has decreased one
percentage point this year, but still represents a 1.2 billion Rand
loss. The slight decrease in software piracy is attributed to
government action and the purchase of branded laptops rather than
desktop systems supplied by local assemblers.

- Zimbabwe introduces law to monitor e-communications
 	Email Article
 	Editor, Maricelle Ruiz, IBLS Director -- Africa
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
 	The Government of Zimbabwe has introduced a bill that would allow
officials to intercept electronic communications to protect national
security. The bill has irked individuals who fear the government will
violate their privacy by reading their e-mails, Internet Service
Providers (ISPs) that will have to pay for this project and attorneys
who claim it is unconstitutional because the Zimbabwean Constitution
guarantees the free flow of ideas.

- Africa wants to expand e-payments, e-commerce
 	Email Article
 	Editor, Maricelle Ruiz, IBLS Director -- Africa
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
 	Most African countries are unable to conduct business online because
they do not have in place a reliable electronic payment system. United
Nations officials and African academics want to change this situation.

and much more..............................