[Foundation-l] Fair Use (again)

Mon Jan 29 21:10:40 UTC 2007

On 1/29/07, geni <geniice at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 1/29/07, The Cunctator <cunctator at gmail.com> wrote:
> > My attitude is that Wikipedia should be pushing the copyright envelope
> > (within reason, of course) on all fronts.
> >
>
> And how much money do you plan to provide to make this possible?
>
> > All non-governmental content from the past century is covered by copyright
> > (essentially).
> >
>
> That simply isn't the case.
>
>
>
> > We should also be demonstrating the importance of challenging the absurd
> > life and strength of copyright laws by taking advantage of fair use when we
> > can.
>
>
> Your reasons do not support your actions here.
>
> > Google is a great example of a company that by dint of its popularity gets
> > to run roughshod over copyright restrictions that companies would squash if
> > they weren't so reliant on Google.
>
> Evidences?
>
> In any case the "no one will sue us" is not a valid argument for
> wikipedia if only because sooner or latter someone will and it doesn't
> help reusers.
>
> > Similarly Wikipedia is now in the position of being one of the 800-pound
> > gorillas.
>
> Annual turnover less than that of my nearest collage. I think not.
>
> > Wikipedia has the power to shape law because of its size and influence.
>
> How? Political campaigning is pretty much out. We have neither the
> money nor the impact. People go to wikipedia looking for information.
> They are not looking for an ideology

Information being free... an encyclopedia, specifically, but the
constituent flood of information ... is a core Wikimedia Foundation
goal.

I don't think we should wage huge PR or legal or paid lobbying
campaigns to free up information.  I think we should reasonably take a
stand that the Fair Use laws mean what they say, and that Wikipedia
and others are entitled to make use of them, and do so.

Shying away from it destroys credibility in the single largest free
access to content legal model in existence.  Free content, including
all of Wikipedia, pales in comparison to the significance to world
society at large that Fair Use brings.

That may not be true in 10 or 20 years, but for now, we should embrace
Fair Use and use it.  Fairly, legally, and stomping on those who would
attempt to abuse Fair Use in our project, but we should embrace it
nonetheless.

-- 
-george william herbert
george.herbert at gmail.com