© 2019 Mehtab Khan

Research

My dissertation research articulates an interest in Access to Knowledge and the role of Copyright Law in facilitating it. An ongoing debate in Copyright is how to balance the rights of Copyright holders with fair use as defined by the law. I am interested in the actors that make it possible to push, disrupt, and shift this balance. I examine the structures and implementation of the copyright regimes that govern the United States and South Asia. In particular, I study the ways commercial entities and proprietary technologies and practices facilitate public interest and the fair use of knowledge and cultural goods. 

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My dissertation ties into an interest in the nexus between Copyright Law and the Open Movement. The Open Movement is perceived as socially desirable and beneficial for all. However, there are segments of society that are marginalized in conversations about the rules and practices that affect them. One example is the use and appropriation of Indigenous Knowledge without any streamlined permission structures on the Internet. My research with Creative Commons explores the question of the use of open licenses for Traditional Knowledge that is connected to complex and often sacred meanings that are lost in terms and conditions on the Internet.  

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My project at the the Center for Technology, Society and Policy at UC Berkeley explores the use of Emotion Recognition Technology in Hiring. This project adds to conversations about the implications of applications powered by Artificial Intelligence. In the workplace, the use of Affect technology to categorize emotions and personality traits of raises pressing ethical and regulatory questions. These questions cut across various legal frameworks such as privacy, consumer law, and worker rights. As part of an interdisciplinary team, I am examining the risks and implications of this technology. 

 

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Writing