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  • From: Russell McOrmond <russell AT flora.ca>
  • To: cc-ca AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [CC-ca] Need for Introduction
  • Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 12:01:25 -0400

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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