On Tue, 2009-10-20 at 16:30 +0100, Bod Notbod wrote:
On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 11:58 PM, Andrew Turvey
<andrewrturvey(a)googlemail.com> wrote:
Peter Mandelson is a keynote speaker, which could
be an important opportunity to put the case for public
domain to a key decision maker.
My question: what should I focus on at this conference and what should I aim to get out
of it?
Shoot Peter Mandelson in the head at point blank range wearing a
Wikimedia UK bandana and shout "INFORMATION WANTS TO BE FREEEEEEEE!"
I expect that would get the odd headline here and there. A bit of
publicity for us.
If you're not keen on a lengthy prison sentence a decent kick in the
balls should get us at least onto page four or five.
This may not be a professional approach to Peter Mandelson, but WMUK
simply lacks the funds to hire a professional hitman. :-P
Can't abolish the *unaccountable* Lords fast enough for me. Although I'm
none too happy about rumours the Dark Lord may be exiting that chamber
to stand in a safe Labour seat.
What is, actually, conspicuously absent from the discussion is whether
anyone has a *right* to make a profit on these creative works. Copyright
is a social contract; society grants a work's creator(s) a limited
duration monopoly to allow them the *opportunity* to make a profit.
Arstechnica has a good article relating to this today. Those
well-entrenched and profiting from creative works have a 100+ year
history of scaremongering and depriving the public domain what they
agreed to give it in the first place.
--
Brian McNeil <brian.mcneil(a)wikinewsie.org>
Wikinewsie.org