IPA Newsletter: Publishers react to Covid-19 Pandemic, Prix Voltaire and more

These are challenging times. The COVID-19 pandemic is a real global crisis, like we have never seen before. It will have profound implications for  

IPA NEWSLETTER March 2020 View this email in your browser This month's editiorial is a special video message from IPA President, Hugo Setzer. Like Follow Forward Subscribe Publishers act amid COVID-19 pandemic Publishers around the world have reacted quickly to support homeschooling parents and open access to research around COVID-19. At the same time many parts of the industry want to know whether culture or publishing will be supported by national stimulus packages. The below gathers together publishers and governments' actions so far. Read More.     IPA Statement: Publishers Around the World Rise to COVID-19 Pandemic Challenge The International Publishers Association congratulates publishers around the world who have been quick and innovative in their reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic. IPA also praises government actions to control the spread of the virus and support cultural industries. IPA calls for industry solidarity to overcome the economic impact the disruption will bring and appeals to national and regional governments to ensure all those in the publishing value chain are supported. Read more. WIPO Director General: Daren Tang nominated  On March 4, 2020, WIPO's Coordination Committee (CoCo) nominated Daren Tang of Singapore for the post of WIPO Director General. Mr. Tang has been the CEO of Singapore's IP Office (IPOS) since 2015 and the Chair of WIPO's Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) since May 2017. Read more.  IPA reveals 2020 Prix Voltaire Shortlist  On 10 March, the IPA announced the shortlist for the 2020 IPA Prix Voltaire, an award recognizing exemplary courage in upholding the freedom to publish and in enabling others to exercise their right to freedom of expression. Read more.  33rd International Publishers Congress Cancelled  On 16 March IPA and the Norwegian Publishers Association confirmed that the 33rd International Publishers Congress scheduled for 28-30 May would be cancelled. Read the statement here.   Accessible Book Awards winners revealed  The winners of the 2020 ABC International Excellence Award in Accessible Publishing were announced on March 10, 2020. IPA congratulates Macmillan Learning of the United States in the publisher category and Fondazione LIA in the initiative category for their important contribution in improving accessibility of digital publications for people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print-disabled. Read more.   WIPO and IPA publish international publishing industry statistics  On 4 March 2020, WIPO published the latest edition of our joint report on international publishing industry statistics. Read more.   Publishers – tell us about you SDG related books!  Any publishers who think they have books that would be relevant to this initiative and any forthcoming SDG themes can either contact us directly or add your suggestions in this form. More information for publishers is available here. The SDG Book Club page is here. UK to abolish VAT rate on digital editions The campaign of the UK Publishers Association has paid off: As of 1st December, the UK will abolish the current 20 % tax on e-books, online newspapers and digital magazine editions. Read more.    Decent work and economic growth – Books for Sustainable Development Goal 8 announced  On 22 February 2020, the eighth list of books for the UN SDG Book Club was announced. The list of titles in all six official UN languages, aimed at children aged 6-12, focuses on the eighth sustainable development goal – decent work and economic growth. Read more.  IPA Statement on Gui Minhai  On 25 February, IPA issued a statement following the sentencing of Gui Minhai to 10 years in prison by a Chinese court. Read more.  Australian Publishers' Parliamentary Book Club In September 2019, the Australian Publishers Association launched the inaugural Parliamentary Book Club. The Book Club is auspiced by the Parliamentary Friends of Australian Books and Writers, which is a bi-partisan group in federal parliament chaired by a representative from both the Government and the Opposition. Read more.  IPA in the news Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic and the collapse of publishing industry events around the world, the 2020 IPA Prix Voltaire shortlist was picked up in Publishing Perspectives, The Bookseller, Publishers Weekly, Actualitté, Börsenblatt, Livres Hebdo, PublishNews, Giornale della Libraria with interesting local pieces on the nominees from Malaysia, Turkey and Pakistan.   The sentencing of IPA's 2018 Prix Voltaire winner, Swedish Hong Kong publisher Gui Minhai, to 10 years in jail was taken up here and here, among many other references.   IPA's Vice-President, Bodour Al Qasimi, oversees opening in April of Sharjah's new library and cultural center, the "House of Wisdom" project, as the head of the Sharjah World Book Capital Advisory Committee.   Hugo Setzer's message on accessible publishing at the NNELS 2020 Accessibility Summit can be read in full on Inclusive Publishing.   IPA's scheduled (but cancelled) events at 2020 London Book Fair in March were summarized by Publishing Perspectives.   The cancellation of the International Publishers Congress was picked up in a number of publications including Publishing Perspectives, TNPS and Livres Hebdo. IPA blog Michiel Kolman: D&I surveys in publishing: is the UK really doing well while too little changed in the US? About the IPA Established in 1896, the International Publishers Association (IPA) is the world's largest federation of publishers associations. The IPA is an industry body with a human rights mandate, whose mission is to promote and protect publishing and raise awareness of publishing as a force for economic, cultural and social development. Working in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and other supranational bodies, the IPA champions the interests of book and journal publishing at national and supranational level. Internationally, the IPA actively opposes censorship and promotes copyright, freedom to publish (including through the IPA Prix Voltaire), and literacy. CONTACT US: International Publishers Association 23 Avenue de France CH-1202 Geneva Tel: +41 22 704 1820 www.internationalpublishers.org   Copyright © 2020 International Publishers Association, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website Our mailing address is: International Publishers Association Avenue de France 23 Geneve 1202 Switzerland Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.