Xref: utzoo news.admin:4714 news.groups:7266 Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!decwrl!sun!pitstop!sundc!seismo!uunet!algor2!jeffrey From: jeffrey@algor2.UUCP (Jeffrey Kegler) Newsgroups: news.admin,news.groups Subject: Re: rec.humor.funny - A Peace Proposal Summary: We should take more than two weeks to discuss the issues They are both important and difficult Message-ID: <232@algor2.UUCP> Date: 8 Feb 89 06:25:02 GMT References: <1241@xn.LL.MIT.EDU> <319@dcs.UUCP> Organization: Algorists, Inc., Reston VA Lines: 47 Revised peace proposal (really a truce proposal): 1. Brad agrees to RENOUNCE any COPYRIGHT without prejudice to his RIGHT to ASSERT IT LATER. 2. We CANCEL the VOTE without prejudice to our RIGHT to RESCHEDULE it after a FULL DISCUSSION. Careless assertion (or rejection) of copyright by moderators could entangle us legally in unforeseen ways. In the absence of any explicit policy it could well be taken as a precedent. To act without getting legal advice and mulling it over would be dangerous. Let me list some issues involved here. Should all profit making from net contents be barred? (This site pays for USENET access and has no objection in principle to getting some of that back--or profiting for that matter.) Should any profit making from net contents be barred? Where should the line be drawn if between these two positions? The net is now a democracy/autocracy/anarchy. Newsgroup are created or eliminated democratically. News is distributed via an anarchy with some autocratic elements. Posting is anarchic except in moderated newsgroups. A moderated newsgroup is a democratically licensed autocracy. Is this the structure that makes most sense? What should the net/moderator relationship be? What of copyrights asserted by posters over their postings? I plan to post something soon where I will want a copyright. If the net decides that is against its etiquette, I will obey and post a public domain summary. (This posting will probably not be profitable, to the extent that is considered relevant.) And before doing anything, I plan to consult counsel. Anyone acting as his own lawyer has a fool for a client. I envy the self-assurance of anyone who feels they have the answers to even one of the above questions. Given a take it or leave it vote on Brad's original copyright, I would have voted for expulsion and worried very much about the consequences of doing so. I *DO* object to the rn-style copyright on a newsgroup (as opposed to a posting or piece of software), but could not predict how I would vote, given the extreme nature of the proposed remedy. I do not think the net has even begun to cope with the issues posed by moderated groups, which have to be the trend of the future, given the rising volume in this net. I have a lot more to say on these matters, but two weeks is not enough time. -- Jeffrey Kegler, President, Algorists, jeffrey@algor2.UU.NET or uunet!algor2!jeffrey 1788 Wainwright DR, Reston VA 22090, 703-471-1378