17. “Everyone is equal before the law and has the
right to equal protection and benefit of the
law.”
“Everyone has the right of access to any
information held by the state.”
“Everyone has the right to have any dispute
that can be resolved by the application of law
decided in a fair public hearing before a court
or, where appropriate, another independent
and impartial tribunal or forum.”
18. Charging exorbitant fees for primary
legal materials denies access to the law
to the vast majority of the population
19. Primary legal resources should be made
freely available and the tools to build
upon those materials
20. Declaration on Free
Access to Law
Public legal information from all countries and
international institutions is part of the common heritage
of humanity. Maximising access to this information
promotes justice and the rule of law;
Public legal information is digital common property and
should be accessible to all on a non-profit basis and free
of charge;
Independent non-profit organisations have the right to
publish public legal information and the government
bodies that create or control that information should
provide access to it so that it can be published.