Andrea,
Thank you for your letter! Yes, here is some more about our
Minciu
Sodas laboratory's work in the Public Domain.
Minciu Sodas is an open laboratory for serving and
organizing
independent thinkers. Since 1998, we have grown to 100
active, 1,500
supportive participants and 14 working groups. We have
served over 20
clients as online organizers, web programmers, researchers,
writers,
translators and multimedia producers.
From the beginning I have been concerned that we be able to
reuse our
material. Therefore we have pioneered the concept of
"Public Domain
except as noted" as at http://www.prima
rilypublicdomain.org and
http://www.ethical
publicdomain.org Consequently, we now have an archive
of more than 15,000 letters and 2,500 wiki pages in the
Public Domain.
In particular, I have worked as a leader to champion the
ethical use of
the Public Domain for social networking, pointing out that
any form of
copyright or copyleft is burdensome and legalistic. At our
venues, we
require that participants explicitly mark as copyright any
materials
which they do not want in the Public Domain. In this sense,
we're
supporting a return to the laws as they were before 1976.
I am very excited that the thematic network might bring
together
organizers who truly do depend on the most vibrant reuse of
content. I
think that in all manner of domains we could think through
the ethical
guidelines for using content and then note where the laws
are causing
problems and should be changed. For example, the laws
could clarify
that Public Domain authors do not imply warrantability, that
Public
Domain authors do have the option to exercise copyright
later, and the
laws could give pause to those who build copyright works on
Public
Domain resources and then wrongly intimidate others. I am
not happy
with the approach of Creative Commons where it assumes a
legalistic
mindset rather than cultivate cultural solutions or work to
change the
laws. I also not happy with people who don't care whether
or not they
follow the law. I think it's also ugly for Western law to
impose itself
so inhumanly on people around the world. I look to this
European
initiative as defining an alternative that might start with
a love of
ethics.
Currently our laboratory is getting ready to organize a
resource in the
Public Domain for "social agriculture",
especially for collecting
experiences from people growing or enjoying organic foods.
We have sympathetic contacts in Hewlett-Packard, Ricoh
Innovations and
other institutions.
I have written papers:
"An Economy for Giving Everything Away" explains
the economic logic of
our lab and why private interests might invest in public
assets:
htt
p://www.ms.lt/en/workingopenly/givingaway.html
"The Algebra of Copyright" explains a way to
think of copyright and fair
use in terms of the number of parsers involved, providing a
general
theory http://www.ms.lt/en/publishing/TheAlgebraOfCopyright.ht
ml
"Social Hacking: The Need for an Ethics"
http://journal.hyperdrome.net/issues/issue1/kulikaus
kas.html
I'm excited about the possiblities! and encouraged by a
recent posting
by Sunir Shah at Meatball Wiki
--------------------------
I strongly, strongly believe that the DefaultCopyright
<http://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/mb.pl?DefaultCopyright>
should move in
this direction. Unless otherwise claimed, information
totally divorced
from any connection to a human being should be free to move
about. This
is 100% connected to my concept of LifeInText
<h
ttp://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/mb.pl?LifeInText>. If
you consider your
personal information, conversations, and works in progress
to be part of
your /self/, then it is a violation of every concept of
ownership we've
had in history to take it. However, material left strewn
around without
anyone standing over and protecting it, that is not part of
someone's
/self/, is free game for others to mine for their own uses.
The legal
framework of IntellectualProperty
<http://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/mb.pl?IntellectualProp
erty> should
incorporate these more physical world concepts of privacy,
ownership,
and the public domain if it dares call itself /property/. --
SunirShah
http://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/mb.pl?EthicalPublicDomain
<htt
p://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/mb.pl?SunirShah>
Andrius
Andrius Kulikauskas
Minciu Sodas
http://www.ms.lt
ms ms.lt
+370 (5) 264 5950
Vilnius, Lithuania
Andrea Glorioso wrote:
> Dear Andrius,
>
> thanks for your kind email. I haven't contacted Paolo
Pumilia (yet)
> because we would first like to understand what is the
number of
> Italian organisations joining in, in order not to
unbalance the
> network too much.
>
> As regards the participation of the Minciu Sodas
laboratory, could you
> tell me a bit more about it - including its role, the
projects it's
> working on, its interest and expertise on the issues
that will be
> covered by the Thematic Network, i.e. the digital
public domain and
> related issues (CC, Open Access, orphan works)?
>
> You might receive this email twice because of some
network problems
> I'm experiencing - sorry about that.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Andrea
>
> On 9/19/06, Andrius Kulikauskas <msms.lt>
wrote:
>> Paul Keller, Andrea Glorioso, Mia Garlick,
>>
>> Yes, I and our Minciu Sodas laboratory based in
Lithuania are interested
>> to participate as partners. I share my thoughts
below.
>>
>> Paolo Pumilia in Milan, Italy is also very
interested. He has organized
>> a series of conferences on Open Content including
>> http://www.openculture.org
and is now creating a Permanent Committee.
>>
>> Do you have a public online venue for pursuing work
on this proposal,
>> including reaching out to others? We'd like to
host such work at our
>> working group Learning From Each Other
>>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningfromeachother/ led
by Pamela
>> McLean of the UK. Her general interest is in the
use of ICT to support
>> self-learning with special attention to the wide
open situation in
>> Africa. She has agreed to host Paolo's work
towards a Permanent
>> Committee for open content conferences. Roland
Alton who hosted the
>> recent workshop is also here. Please send a blank
message to
>> learningfromeachother-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to
subscribe!
>>
>> Andrius
>>
>> Andrius Kulikauskas
>> Minciu Sodas
>> http://www.ms.lt
>> msms.lt
>> +370 (5) 264 5950
>> +370 (699) 30003
>> Vilnius, Lithuania
>>
>> Paul Keller wrote:
>>
>> > dear Andrius,
>> >
>> > thank you for your mail and sorry for the
delayed answer. i was not
>> > able to keep up with my mail because of the
bad connectivity at
>> > wizards of so. as you might now we have had a
meeting at WOS on
>> > thursday to select a lead organisation for the
TN proposal. We have
>> > chosen the politechnico de torino as lead and
i have copied Andrea
>> > Glorioso from the Politechnico in this mail.
if you wnat to join the
>> > project at this stage you should get in touch
with him as soon as
>> > possible as he is coordinating the efforts to
select the consortium
>> > partners at this moment.
>> > all the best from amsterdam,
>> >
>> > paul keller (CC-NL)
>> >
>> > On Sep 14, 2006, at 11:07 PM, Andrius
Kulikauskas wrote:
>> >
>> >> Sorry! I forgot to add this. Andrius, http://www.ms.lt
>> >>
------------------------------------------------------------
----
>> >>
>> >> http://europa.eu.int/information_society/activi
ties/econtentplus/
>> >> docs/call_2006/ecp_work_programme_2006.pdf
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> REINFORCING COOPERATION BETWEEN DIGITAL
CONTENT STAKEHOLDERS
>> >>
>> >> Issues and policies relating to the public
domain are critical across
>> >> all the target areas covered by
>> >> the programme for facilitating the
accessibility, use and
>> exploitation
>> >> of digital content in general. In
>> >> 2006, eContentplus will fund a thematic
network to examine the
>> >> situation
>> >> in the European Union
>> >> and develop strategies and solutions for
its Member States.
>> >> For the purposes of this work programme,
public domain refers to
>> >> content
>> >> that is not or no longer
>> >> protected by copyright, for example
because it is not entitled to
>> >> copyright protection or the
>> >> copyright has been waived or has expired.
Related issues that also
>> >> require examination include
>> >> material that is protected by copyright,
but can be accessed and
>> >> used by
>> >> all, e.g. through open
>> >> access, under Creative Commons licences or
as orphan works, i.e.
>> works
>> >> protected by copyright but
>> >> where it is impossible to identify the
person entitled to exercise
>> the
>> >> rights.
>> >>
>> >> 6.1. A Thematic Network on public-domain
and related issues
>> >>
>> >> Objective: A single network will be funded
to spread awareness among
>> >> content stakeholders on the importance of
issues relating to the
>> public
>> >> domain for the usability and accessibility
of digital content. It
>> will
>> >> identify the issues and develop strategies
for tackling them at
>> >> European
>> >> level.
>> >>
>> >> Conditions: In addition to the common
requirements for Thematic
>> >> Networks, proposals should meet the
>> >> following conditions:
>> >> • They should bring together experts from
different backgrounds
>> with an
>> >> interest in the public
>> >> domain, such as IPR experts, content
owners (libraries and archives),
>> >> representatives of the
>> >> scientific community, end users and
consumers.
>> >> • Participants should represent the
interests of actors from a
>> >> sufficiently wide geographical area
>> >> so as to have an impact at European level.
>> >>
>> >> Expected results: Digital stakeholders
should understand and
>> appreciate
>> >> public domain issues and incorporate that
understanding and
>> >> appreciation
>> >> in strategies and solutions for dealing
with such issues at European
>> >> level.
>> >>
>> >>
------------------------------------------------------------
---------
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Andrius Kulikauskas wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> Hi! I'm wondering if anybody is
writing a proposal for the European
>> >>> Union's call to create a Public
Domain thematic network? I want to
>> >>> support Roland Alton-Scheidl's
efforts. He's currently at the
>> >>> Wizards of OS conference in Berlin and
will give a workshop on this
>> >>> on Sunday. My Minciu Sodas laboratory
members Markus Petz,
>> >>> Dante-Gabryell Monson and Eric
Schneider are also there. I hope we
>> >>> might speak up and work together at
this opportunity!
>> >>>
>> >>> I also ask for help to make contacts
in some of the bigger
>> >>> businesses and institutions as I think
that is essential for the
>> >>> success of a proposal. They could be
in Europe but even outside
>> >>> contacts might prove helpful. I'm
thinking of hardware, software,
>> >>> media companies but also perhaps
insurance or real estate or travel
>> >>> or pharmaceuticals or other companies
that are knowledge intensive
>> >>> and might possibly benefit from a
progressive approach to the
>> >>> Public Domain. I'm also personally
asking for a review of current
>> >>> dogma and a rethinking as to how we
might approach these issues
>> >>> ethically first, and legally second.
Please join us at
>> >>>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningfromeachother/ and
also thank
>> >>> you for discussion at the Creative
Commons list.
>> >>>
>> >>> Andrius Kulikauskas
>> >>> msms.lt, http://www.ms.lt, Direktorius,
Minciu Sodas
>> >>>
---------------------------------------------
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> The EU's European Commission has
issued a call for proposals (due
>> >>> October 19, 2006) to create a Public
Domain thematic network. Up
>> to 1
>> >>> million euros is available. http://europa.eu.in
t/econtentplus
>> and more
>> >>> information below.
>> >>>
>> >>> Since 1998, I have organized our
Minciu Sodas laboratory
>> >>> http://www.ms.lt to deliberately
leverage the Public Domain to
>> >>> serve and
>> >>> organize independent thinkers.
Together we have created more than
>> >>> 15,000
>> >>> letters and 3,000 wiki pages. We're
starting to reuse this
>> material in
>> >>> more and more ways that facilitate our
working together. We're also
>> >>> realizing that our spaces in the
Public Domain filters in those who
>> >>> are
>> >>> willing to work openly and share
freely and filters out sharkish,
>> >>> trollish and other deconstructive
behavior. This means that we can
>> >>> encourage our participants to invest
time, energy, resources in each
>> >>> other's growth. I have written about
this logic in "An Economy for
>> >>> Giving Everything Away" http://www.ms.lt/e
n/workingopenly/
>> >>> givingaway.html
>> >>>
>> >>> I'm writing to encourage us to
organize around Roland Alton-Scheidl,
>> >>> PUBLIC VOICE Lab & Project Lead
>> >>> RegisteredCommons.org, Vorarlberg
University of Applied Sciences,
>> >>> http://www.media.coop/ab
out/ He's leading a workshop for all who
>> would
>> >>> like to work together on this
proposal. It takes place this
>> Sunday at
>> >>> "The Wizards of OS"
conference in Berlin
>> >>> http://wiz
ards-of-os.org/index.php?id=2922
>> >>> http://www.medi
a.coop/project/ecplus/ http://del.icio.us/ecplus
>> >>>
>> >>> I spoke with Roland today. He and
Franz Nahrada know each other
>> quite
>> >>> well. Franz leads our lab's working
group Global Villages
>> >>> http://www.globalvilla
ges.info
>> >>> http://
groups.yahoo.com/group/globalvillages/ Roland is a part
of
>> >>> Franz's video bridge team which is
working with telecoms so that
>> they
>> >>> offer video bridge equipment free of
charge to community centers
>> which
>> >>> subscribe to video bridge services.
This option can make all the
>> >>> difference for spreading this
technology and is analogous to the DSL
>> >>> companies offering modems free of
charge to their subscribers.
>> It also
>> >>> lets subscribers use the existing
proprietary technology without
>> >>> locking
>> >>> them into it so they might switch as
open source options arise. And
>> >>> it's
>> >>> a ground breaking example of providers
serving communities
>> rather than
>> >>> consumers.
>> >>>
>> >>> Roland is looking for a team of four
or five people who might help
>> >>> with
>> >>> his proposal. I'm happy to help. Who
else? He also asked for help to
>> >>> find partners in the various European
countries, especially large
>> >>> businesses and institutions. Here are
some that we can approach
>> >>> right away:
>> >>> - Paolo Pumilia in Milan, Italy is the
organizer of several Open
>> >>> Content
>> >>> conferences http://www.openculture.org
with many ties to the
>> academic
>> >>> community. He's the one who
originally alerted me to the call.
>> >>> - Steve Cayzer of Hewlett-Packard
Bristol Labs
>> >>> http://w
ww.hpl.hp.com/personal/Steve_Cayzer/ is working on the
>> >>> semantic
>> >>> web and is a friend of our lab.
>> >>> - Stanko Blatnik is in Slovenia and is
interested in distance
>> learning
>> >>> and has academic connections.
>> >>> - Georg Pleger of Creative Commons
Austria
>> >>> http://w
ww.creativecommons.at/Members/georgP has been very
>> sympathetic
>> >>> and perhaps has more contacts.
>> >>> I have some connections in
Lithuania's government, perhaps that
>> >>> might be
>> >>> relevant.
>> >>>
>> >>> But we need bigger connections in
order to have a chance of
>> winning. I
>> >>> spoke recently with a friendly expert
who made it clear that our
>> >>> lab had
>> >>> no chance of winning. These projects
are typically won by
>> outfits that
>> >>> manage thirty or forty of them at a
time. They have the whole
>> >>> production
>> >>> line ready for this and the calls are
usually formulated with
>> them in
>> >>> mind. So I'm encouraging us to work
openly and rally around
>> Roland and
>> >>> all who are willing to put in the work
and take the risk. This will
>> >>> provide three years of funding for a
few organizers and travel for
>> >>> partners. And meanwhile it's a good
opportunity for us to connect
>> and
>> >>> support each other.
>> >>>
>> >>> I defer to Roland regarding the
content of the proposal. But I
>> >>> share my
>> >>> ideas. I would call the proposal and
the network "Ethical Public
>> >>> Domain". My goal would be to
focus our attention on ethics
>> rather than
>> >>> legalities. Our work would be to
analyze each domain where
>> content is
>> >>> generated and considered what is the
ethically best way to treat
>> >>> content
>> >>> given the relevant issues. And then to
make recommendations as to
>> how
>> >>> laws should be changed and how to
focus on ethical rather than legal
>> >>> solutions. And how to integrate
different kinds of content in
>> >>> different
>> >>> situations.
>> >>>
>> >>> Our assumption would be that people
have a basic human right to
>> share.
>> >>> Any law which presumes that people
don't want to share is in
>> conflict
>> >>> with that right. In particular, the
laws which assume that we claim
>> >>> ownership of our creative works are
counter to our right to share
>> and
>> >>> thus ethically void. People who want
to claim legal protection of
>> >>> their
>> >>> creative works ought to be active in
marking their content
>> >>> accordingly.
>> >>> Otherwise they are infringing on our
right to share. By
>> clarifying our
>> >>> human rights we would help show where
the laws are ethical and
>> >>> where are
>> >>> they overstepping.
>> >>>
>> >>> For example, as Thomas Kalka noted,
one argument against public
>> >>> domain software is that supposedly
author's are not protected
>> against
>> >>> presumed warrantees and associated
liability. Well, instead of
>> >>> abandoning the public domain, why not
clarify if the laws are
>> >>> unethical
>> >>> and should be changed?
>> >>>
>> >>> I'm also thinking of social
networking (people's implicit
>> content) and
>> >>> video bridges (most explicit content)
as two ends of a spectrum and
>> >>> every other kind of content is
somewhere in between.
>> >>>
>> >>> One idea is to have a video bridge
center in every European country
>> >>> and
>> >>> have them in other countries so that
we could have their input
>> because
>> >>> this is a global issue. And to meet
through the video bridges as
>> >>> much as
>> >>> possible. And perhaps bring them to
conferences throughout the
>> year so
>> >>> that people throughout Europe and
around the world could hook up on
>> >>> this
>> >>> issue both online and offline.
>> >>>
>> >>> I also think that it could be helpful
to focus attention on content
>> >>> that
>> >>> is socially meaningful such as a
knowledge base for sustainability
>> >>> that
>> >>> could use all manner of media. And a
social networking system to
>> >>> attract
>> >>> such giving people and help them help
each other find paid work.
>> Here
>> >>> again Public Domain is essential.
>> >>>
>> >>> The Public Domain can also have an
express ethical component which
>> >>> explains what is appropriate behavior
under various conditions. For
>> >>> example, if you make money from
content, then it's appropriate
>> to give
>> >>> back to the content creators. But how
exactly you do that and who
>> >>> exactly you give to isn't so
important. And it's not a legal issue.
>> >>> Certainly for individuals and small
businesses there is no
>> recourse in
>> >>> civil law because of the expense and
wasted energy and so the law
>> >>> is not
>> >>> a solution for the people who matter.
>> >>>
>> >>> I think it's also perfectly human to
have ethics and laws which
>> allow
>> >>> humans to use their best judgement but
require institutions with
>> >>> limited
>> >>> liability, such as corporations, to be
taxed for their use of
>> content.
>> >>> Or, for example, it makes sense to
have patents which allow humans
>> >>> unrestricted use but require
corporations to negotiate with the
>> patent
>> >>> holder.
>> >>>
>> >>> I think it's important to think of
the Public Domain in a practical
>> >>> way
>> >>> and not make a legal parody of it. In
practice, people can and do
>> >>> change
>> >>> their mind as to whether their work is
in the Public Domain. And the
>> >>> common sense consequence is that this
does not affect any copies
>> >>> already
>> >>> published but should affect any future
copies to the extent that the
>> >>> publisher has been made or should be
aware of the change of
>> status. In
>> >>> which case the publisher should be
prepared to negotiate or find a
>> >>> substitute. This makes for a world
where sharing is much more
>> >>> voluntary
>> >>> and not based on force, and where
investments are made accordingly.
>> >>>
>> >>> I'm interested to approach
participants in the Creative Commons
>> >>> initiative who would like to see more
emphasis on ethics rather than
>> >>> law. I believe that here in Europe we
might succeed in developing an
>> >>> ethical European alternative
("respect these requests") to a
>> >>> legalistic
>> >>> American approach ("these rights
reserved"). Especially as the
>> >>> network's
>> >>> major role can be to suggest European
policy that leads to
>> directives
>> >>> that lead to harmonized laws
throughout the Union.
>> >>>
>> >>> Pamela McLean has agreed to host work
on this proposal at her
>> working
>> >>> group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningfromeachother/ Her
key
>> >>> concept in life is "learning
from each other" and she's especially
>> >>> interested in how we and ICT might
support learning, especially in
>> >>> Africa, which is a wonderful land for
thinking fresh. Paolo
>> Pumilia is
>> >>> also active there. We invite all to
join us, please send a blank
>> >>> message
>> >>> to
learningfromeachother-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Roland, if
you
>> >>> think
>> >>> this is a good idea, please ask people
at your workshop to sign
>> up for
>> >>> this group and get their permissions.
This would be a great boost
>> >>> for us
>> >>> to help you! Also, the more openly
that we write this proposal, the
>> >>> more
>> >>> partners, attention and good will we
might attract.
>> >>>
>> >>> Roland, best wishes in your work!
>> >>> Please keep us posted!
>> >>>
>> >>> Andrius
>> >>>
>> >>> Andrius Kulikauskas
>> >>> Minciu Sodas
>> >>> http://www.ms.lt
>> >>> msms.lt
>> >>> +370 (5) 264 5950
>> >>> +370 (699) 30003
>> >>> Vilnius, Lithuania
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> Each letter sent to Learning From Each
Other enters the PUBLIC
>> >>> DOMAIN unless it explicitly states
otherwise http://
>> >>> www.ethicalpublicdomain.org Please be
kind to our authors!
>> >>>
>> >>>
_______________________________________________
>> >>> cc-community mailing list
>> >>> cc-communitylists.ibiblio.org
>> >>> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/cc-community
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>
>> >>
_______________________________________________
>> >> cc-community mailing list
>> >> cc-communitylists.ibiblio.org
>> >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/cc-community
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > waag society | nieuwmarkt 4 | NL - 1012 CR
amsterdam
>> > e: paulwaag.org | t: +31 20 557 9898 | f: +31 20
557 9880
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>
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