Today I arrived in New Haven, CT, USA, where I will be attending the Yale Access to Knowledge conference. The schedule promises very interesting panels and discussions.
I am excited about the opportunity to personally meet some of the most forward-thinking people in copyright and patent reform. On Sunday, I will be moderating a panel on "Licensing Frameworks for A2K".
Besides that, I will of course be blogging the conference.
The conference will start tomorrow (Friday) afternoon, presumably amid some degree of confusion: Tomorrow, Hu Jintao, the president of the People's Republic of China, will be visiting Yale. That means security hassles of all sorts, as well as demonstrations.
Speaking of security hassles: As I passed through US immigration checks today, having answered the same nonsensical questions over and over again ("What is the purpose of your visit?"), I was of course fingerprinted.
While being submitted to this treatment normally reserved for criminal suspects, I could not help but hum the last lines of the US national anthem:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
