Achal Prabhala
Encyclopedia
Achal Prabhala is an India
n researcher, activist and writer based in Bangalore
, Karnataka
. He works on intellectual property rights in relation to medicine and knowledge. Prabhala is a member of the Advisory board of the Wikimedia Foundation
.
and then at Yale University
, where he contributed articles to Yale Daily News
, the student newspaper.
and oversaw the Access to learning materials in South Africa project from 2004-05.
In 2007, in an opinion article in the Times of India, Prabhala alleged that the Mashelkar committee, a patent review committee set up by the Indian government, had copied verbatim a part of the submission made by Shamnad Basheer, whose own research had been supported by a consortium of multinational firms. The report was later withdrawn by the committee.
Funded by a Wikimedia foundation grant, Prabhala, along with Priya Sen and Zen Marie, produced the film People are Knowledgehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:People-are-Knowledge.ogv?withJS=MediaWiki:MwEmbed.js. The film explores how alternate methods of citation could be employed on Wikipedia.
He is the author of an essay "Yeoville confidential" published in Johannesburg: Elusive Metropolis and one of the editors of Access to knowledge in Africa.
Prabhala has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Wikimedia Foundation since 2005. He also serves on the board of the Centre for Internet and Society
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n researcher, activist and writer based in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. He works on intellectual property rights in relation to medicine and knowledge. Prabhala is a member of the Advisory board of the Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is an American non-profit charitable organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, and organized under the laws of the state of Florida, where it was initially based...
.
Personal life
Prabhala lives in Bangalore, India. He has studied economics and public policy management at Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
and then at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he contributed articles to Yale Daily News
Yale Daily News
The Yale Daily News is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut since January 28, 1878...
, the student newspaper.
Biography
Writings and research
Achal Prabhala researches intellectual property in connection to medicines and knowledge. In 2005, he coauthored a report on copyright issues and access to learning in South Africa for ICTSD and UNCTADUnited Nations Conference on Trade and Development
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
and oversaw the Access to learning materials in South Africa project from 2004-05.
In 2007, in an opinion article in the Times of India, Prabhala alleged that the Mashelkar committee, a patent review committee set up by the Indian government, had copied verbatim a part of the submission made by Shamnad Basheer, whose own research had been supported by a consortium of multinational firms. The report was later withdrawn by the committee.
Funded by a Wikimedia foundation grant, Prabhala, along with Priya Sen and Zen Marie, produced the film People are Knowledgehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:People-are-Knowledge.ogv?withJS=MediaWiki:MwEmbed.js. The film explores how alternate methods of citation could be employed on Wikipedia.
He is the author of an essay "Yeoville confidential" published in Johannesburg: Elusive Metropolis and one of the editors of Access to knowledge in Africa.
Prabhala has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Wikimedia Foundation since 2005. He also serves on the board of the Centre for Internet and Society
Centre for Internet and Society (India)
The Centre for Internet and Society is a Bangalore-based organisation looking at multidisciplinary research and advocacy. CIS works on digital pluralism, public accountability and pedagogic practices, in the field of Internet and Society....
Works
- Access to knowledge in Africa (2010) with C. Armstrong, J. De Beer, D. Kawooya and T. Schonwetter.
- The best of Quest (2011) with Laeeq Futehally and Arshia Sattar.
- Civil Lines 6 (2011) with Mukul Kesavan and Kai Friese.
External links
- The Road To Wellville By Achal Prabhala
- Outlook India: Achal Prabhala
- The Times of India : Patent Wrong
- Battling HIV/AIDS – A Decision Maker's Guide to the Procurement of Medicines and Related Supplies
- Intellectual Property, Education and Access to Knowledge in Southern Africa, Response to Indian Copyright Law Amendment
- "Reconsidering the Pirate Nation: Notes from South Africa and India" By Lawrence LiangLawrence LiangLawrence Liang is an Indian Chinese legal researcher and lawyer based in the city of Bangalore, who is known for his legal campaigns on issues of public concern...
and Achal Prabhala. BROKEN LINK! - Tehelka : Indian Patents: Doing Just Fine : In the wake of the Madras High Court’s landmark ruling on Novartis, CHAN PARK and ACHAL PRABHALA disentangle some key myths around patent law