In the twenty-first century, the ubiquity of electronic networks in many parts of the world suggests that the field of communication and information policy (CIP) has emerged as a new form of governance in which civil society needs to play an active role. CIP includes governance of broadcasting, telephones, computers, and telecommunications, Internet, freedom of government information, privacy, and intellectual property (IP). This research project examines a specific intervention having to do with the IP dimension of CIP.

The project focuses on one intervention, which is led by Consumers International as a global federation of 200 consumer rights organizations around the world, called the "A2K project". The A2K project is a response to the push for stronger international copyright protections. This push, led by the US and the EU, mainly benefits copyright holders in developed countries. Other governments, particularly those of developing countries, are pressed to ensure very strong protections for rights holders. The study examines the A2K project's efforts to achieve more balanced IP regimes that protect consumer/citizen, not simply business/government interests in IP. It explores several key questions: What is the global scope of the institutional infrastructure focused on advocacy around A2K issues? To what extent can A2K activism be considered a social movement, as some have asserted? How is CI's A2K global advocacy project actually taking shape? What are some of the political, economic, geographic, and cultural tensions that have emerged in CI's A2K advocacy work? How do A2K issues relate to consumer, citizen, or human rights claims? What are the strategic and tactical issues involved in asserting one or more of these rights frameworks?