Andrew Rens, obtained BA and subsequently LLB
(equivalent of JD) degrees from the
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg,
before working as a lawyer in private practise.
His next real job was for the Commission for
Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration during the
start up of this independent government agency for the
resolution of labour disputes. He left the CCMA to
engage in teaching and human rights litigation as an
attorney at the
Wits Law Clinic while he completed his Master of
Laws, focusing on Intellectual Property Issues on the
Internet at Wits Law School
where he subsequently taught
Intellectual Property, Telecommunications, Broadcasting, Space and Satellite, and Media Law and pioneered a course in Information Technology Law.
Mr. Rens is the Legal Lead for
Creative Commons South Africa, and currently resides in San
Francisco where he works on issues around access to
knowledge, collaborative creative works and the
Digital Divide.