{"id":{"repo_id":"exeter","oai_identifier":"oai:figshare.com:article/31855525"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/exeter/oai:figshare.com:article/31855525","repository":{"repo_id":"exeter","name":"University of Exeter","base_url":"https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai"},"display":{"title":"The Conflict Between the International Copyright Regime and Islamic Social Justice Theory Regarding Access to Knowledge and Educational Materials","abstract":"Copyright has a solid relationship with access to knowledge and educational materials. On the one hand, copyright can enhance the dissemination of and access to knowledge and educational materials by providing creators with optimal protection that incentivises them to produce and disseminate their works while guaranteeing equitable access to these works for users. On the other hand, copyright can be a barrier to the dissemination and access to knowledge and educational materials when protection is extended to the point where access becomes impossible and unaffordable for users. Thus, copyright plays a crucial social role in balancing the rights of owners and the public interest. However, this role cannot be effectively fulfilled under the rules of the current international copyright regime because this regime was unjustly established by European colonialism during its peak. Consequently, this regime has skewed in favour of copyright owners at the expense of the public interest by expanding copyright protection to such an extent that it has transformed copyright from a tool for knowledge dissemination into a barrier to access to knowledge and educational materials. This study sets out to examine the relationship between the current international copyright regime and Islamic social justice. The examination of this relationship illustrates that there is a tension between the current international copyright regime and the principles of social justice in Islam and the objectives of Islamic Sharia because, among other reasons, this regime prioritises the rights of copyright owners, whereas Islamic Sharia considers access to knowledge and education as necessities that everyone in a just society should have. The study focuses on the Egyptian copyright system by examining the role of European colonisation in establishing this system and the impact of the international copyright regime on Egyptian copyright law. Moreover, since Islamic Sharia is a principal source of legislation in Egypt, this study examines the tension between the Egyptian copyright system and the objectives of Islamic Sharia. The examination of the Egyptian copyright system shows that it is not designed to enhance access to knowledge and educational materials, thereby raising a conflict between this system and the principles of social justice in Islam. To support this analysis, an empirical study was conducted by interviewing 17 Egyptian PhD students to ask them about their experiences regarding access to knowledge and educational materials in Egypt. The findings of this study support the main argument of this thesis: the current international copyright regime acts as a barrier to access to knowledge and educational materials, especially in developing countries such as Egypt. Finally, this study proposes an imagination of a more just regime of copyright informed by the principles of social justice in Islam. This proposed just regime can be achieved through the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the concluding chapter of this thesis.<p></p>","abstract_html":"Copyright has a solid relationship with access to knowledge and educational materials. On the one hand, copyright can enhance the dissemination of and access to knowledge and educational materials by providing creators with optimal protection that incentivises them to produce and disseminate their works while guaranteeing equitable access to these works for users. On the other hand, copyright can be a barrier to the dissemination and access to knowledge and educational materials when protection is extended to the point where access becomes impossible and unaffordable for users. Thus, copyright plays a crucial social role in balancing the rights of owners and the public interest. However, this role cannot be effectively fulfilled under the rules of the current international copyright regime because this regime was unjustly established by European colonialism during its peak. Consequently, this regime has skewed in favour of copyright owners at the expense of the public interest by expanding copyright protection to such an extent that it has transformed copyright from a tool for knowledge dissemination into a barrier to access to knowledge and educational materials. This study sets out to examine the relationship between the current international copyright regime and Islamic social justice. The examination of this relationship illustrates that there is a tension between the current international copyright regime and the principles of social justice in Islam and the objectives of Islamic Sharia because, among other reasons, this regime prioritises the rights of copyright owners, whereas Islamic Sharia considers access to knowledge and education as necessities that everyone in a just society should have. The study focuses on the Egyptian copyright system by examining the role of European colonisation in establishing this system and the impact of the international copyright regime on Egyptian copyright law. Moreover, since Islamic Sharia is a principal source of legislation in Egypt, this study examines the tension between the Egyptian copyright system and the objectives of Islamic Sharia. The examination of the Egyptian copyright system shows that it is not designed to enhance access to knowledge and educational materials, thereby raising a conflict between this system and the principles of social justice in Islam. To support this analysis, an empirical study was conducted by interviewing 17 Egyptian PhD students to ask them about their experiences regarding access to knowledge and educational materials in Egypt. The findings of this study support the main argument of this thesis: the current international copyright regime acts as a barrier to access to knowledge and educational materials, especially in developing countries such as Egypt. Finally, this study proposes an imagination of a more just regime of copyright informed by the principles of social justice in Islam. This proposed just regime can be achieved through the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the concluding chapter of this thesis.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Abderrhman Mohamed (21041612)"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-03-23T00:00:00Z","date_published":"2026-03-23T00:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:33:45Z","subjects":["Colonisation","Copyright","Islamic Sharia","Legal Theory","Social Justice","The Egyptian Copyright System"],"languages":[],"rights":["All rights reserved","Open Access after 2027-09-23"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10779/exe.31855525.v1"],"render_values":[{"text":"10779/exe.31855525.v1","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":null,"outbound_label":null,"outbound_source":null},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Abderrhman Mohamed (21041612)"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2026-03-23T00:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/The_Conflict_Between_the_International_Copyright_Regime_and_Islamic_Social_Justice_Theory_Regarding_Access_to_Knowledge_and_Educational_Materials/31855525"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Colonisation","Copyright","Islamic Sharia","Legal Theory","Social Justice","The Egyptian Copyright System"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["All rights reserved","Open Access after 2027-09-23"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10779/exe.31855525.v1"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Copyright has a solid relationship with access to knowledge and educational materials. On the one hand, copyright can enhance the dissemination of and access to knowledge and educational materials by providing creators with optimal protection that incentivises them to produce and disseminate their works while guaranteeing equitable access to these works for users. On the other hand, copyright can be a barrier to the dissemination and access to knowledge and educational materials when protection is extended to the point where access becomes impossible and unaffordable for users. Thus, copyright plays a crucial social role in balancing the rights of owners and the public interest. However, this role cannot be effectively fulfilled under the rules of the current international copyright regime because this regime was unjustly established by European colonialism during its peak. Consequently, this regime has skewed in favour of copyright owners at the expense of the public interest by expanding copyright protection to such an extent that it has transformed copyright from a tool for knowledge dissemination into a barrier to access to knowledge and educational materials. This study sets out to examine the relationship between the current international copyright regime and Islamic social justice. The examination of this relationship illustrates that there is a tension between the current international copyright regime and the principles of social justice in Islam and the objectives of Islamic Sharia because, among other reasons, this regime prioritises the rights of copyright owners, whereas Islamic Sharia considers access to knowledge and education as necessities that everyone in a just society should have. The study focuses on the Egyptian copyright system by examining the role of European colonisation in establishing this system and the impact of the international copyright regime on Egyptian copyright law. Moreover, since Islamic Sharia is a principal source of legislation in Egypt, this study examines the tension between the Egyptian copyright system and the objectives of Islamic Sharia. The examination of the Egyptian copyright system shows that it is not designed to enhance access to knowledge and educational materials, thereby raising a conflict between this system and the principles of social justice in Islam. To support this analysis, an empirical study was conducted by interviewing 17 Egyptian PhD students to ask them about their experiences regarding access to knowledge and educational materials in Egypt. The findings of this study support the main argument of this thesis: the current international copyright regime acts as a barrier to access to knowledge and educational materials, especially in developing countries such as Egypt. Finally, this study proposes an imagination of a more just regime of copyright informed by the principles of social justice in Islam. This proposed just regime can be achieved through the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the concluding chapter of this thesis.<p></p>"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Conflict Between the International Copyright Regime and Islamic Social Justice Theory Regarding Access to Knowledge and Educational Materials"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Abderrhman Mohamed (21041612)"],"dc:date":["2026-03-23T00:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Copyright has a solid relationship with access to knowledge and educational materials. On the one hand, copyright can enhance the dissemination of and access to knowledge and educational materials by providing creators with optimal protection that incentivises them to produce and disseminate their works while guaranteeing equitable access to these works for users. On the other hand, copyright can be a barrier to the dissemination and access to knowledge and educational materials when protection is extended to the point where access becomes impossible and unaffordable for users. Thus, copyright plays a crucial social role in balancing the rights of owners and the public interest. However, this role cannot be effectively fulfilled under the rules of the current international copyright regime because this regime was unjustly established by European colonialism during its peak. Consequently, this regime has skewed in favour of copyright owners at the expense of the public interest by expanding copyright protection to such an extent that it has transformed copyright from a tool for knowledge dissemination into a barrier to access to knowledge and educational materials. This study sets out to examine the relationship between the current international copyright regime and Islamic social justice. The examination of this relationship illustrates that there is a tension between the current international copyright regime and the principles of social justice in Islam and the objectives of Islamic Sharia because, among other reasons, this regime prioritises the rights of copyright owners, whereas Islamic Sharia considers access to knowledge and education as necessities that everyone in a just society should have. The study focuses on the Egyptian copyright system by examining the role of European colonisation in establishing this system and the impact of the international copyright regime on Egyptian copyright law. Moreover, since Islamic Sharia is a principal source of legislation in Egypt, this study examines the tension between the Egyptian copyright system and the objectives of Islamic Sharia. The examination of the Egyptian copyright system shows that it is not designed to enhance access to knowledge and educational materials, thereby raising a conflict between this system and the principles of social justice in Islam. To support this analysis, an empirical study was conducted by interviewing 17 Egyptian PhD students to ask them about their experiences regarding access to knowledge and educational materials in Egypt. The findings of this study support the main argument of this thesis: the current international copyright regime acts as a barrier to access to knowledge and educational materials, especially in developing countries such as Egypt. Finally, this study proposes an imagination of a more just regime of copyright informed by the principles of social justice in Islam. This proposed just regime can be achieved through the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the concluding chapter of this thesis.<p></p>"],"dc:identifier":["10779/exe.31855525.v1"],"dc:relation":["https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/The_Conflict_Between_the_International_Copyright_Regime_and_Islamic_Social_Justice_Theory_Regarding_Access_to_Knowledge_and_Educational_Materials/31855525"],"dc:rights":["All rights reserved","Open Access after 2027-09-23"],"dc:subject":["Colonisation","Copyright","Islamic Sharia","Legal Theory","Social Justice","The Egyptian Copyright System"],"dc:title":["The Conflict Between the International Copyright Regime and Islamic Social Justice Theory Regarding Access to Knowledge and Educational Materials"],"dc:type":["Text","Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:33:45Z"}