[CC-ca] Need for Introduction
Russell McOrmond
russell at flora.ca
Mon May 15 12:01:25 EDT 2006
Justin Wikinator wrote:
> Concerning this discrepancy, I
> propose that we all introduce ourselves to the list in the spirit of the
> Commons and Openness.
The archives are all there as a bit of an intro, but I'd like to post
an update.
I differentiate myself from some of the others in this list as being
interested in Creative Commons and FLOSS primarily from the creators
perspective. Lessig got it right when he focused on "Creativity always
builds on the past" in past speeches, with the FLOSS movement being a
movement by-and-for software creators recognizing that their rights are
best protected by aligning themselves with their customers/users rather
than the legacy intermediaries.
While I got involved in Free Software in the early 1990's, it wasn't
until the summer of 2001 and that round of copyright consultation that I
started to get interested in the laws around non-software creativity.
The recent separation of musicians from the big-4 foreign major
labels (IE: what is left of CRIA), and the formation of the Canadian
Music Creators Commons is likely well known. Less known to this
community is the expansion of the thinking within other creator communities.
An example is the Professional Writers Association of Canada. I
recently attended a reception and a talk at the PWAC.ca AGM and
conference. At the reception was a launch of the results of the
Canadian Professional Writers Survey. In this survey contained the
following "four core principles essential for the ongoing copyright reform"
http://www.digital-copyright.ca/node/2440
"(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life
of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific
advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material
interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production
of which he is the author.
(3) All creators must be respected in the copyright reform process.
(4) There are myriad models for the production, distribution and
remuneration of creative works. We need to create a copyright paradigm
in which all models and choices are respected. Imposing a single-model
solution is undemocratic and absolutely not in the interests of the
creative community."
These 4 principles may seem familiar to those who know me, as they
are the same types of principles I have been strongly advocating.
(1) is "creativity builds on the past" as worded by the UN Universal
Declaration of Human Rights
(2) is the second part of Creators' rights as worded by the UN UDHR
(3) is a recognition that different creators have been working against
each others interests in the current process and we need to be respectful
(4) is a recognition that there are many traditional models and emerging
models, and that pay-per-copy models, pay per user models as well as
those enabled by the Creative Commons or FLOSS should all be respected.
Not imposing single-model solutions also suggests to me a movement
away from lobbying for things like statutory or extended licensing for
things such as educational use of the Internet, where creative
commons/Open Access and other such models seem to offer much better
long-term solutions. Hopefully the educational institutions will
eventually agree and stop lobbying for institutional exceptions to
copyright, and instead create/fund CC/OA initiatives.
I consider this to be an exciting development!
--
Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/>
2415+ Canadians oppose Bill C-60 which protects antiquated Recording,
Movie and "software manufacturing" industries from modernization.
Send a letter to your Canadian MP! --> http://digital-copyright.ca/
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