Comments on: Governments And Free Content Policies http://www.jonobacon.org/2008/12/02/governments-and-free-content-policies/ At home with Jono Bacon, Community Manager and Author Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:23:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Obama con los Latinos y con la Free Culture community | http://www.jonobacon.org/2008/12/02/governments-and-free-content-policies/comment-page-1/#comment-127786 Obama con los Latinos y con la Free Culture community | Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:24:36 +0000 http://www.jonobacon.org/?p=1441#comment-127786 <p>[...] Esta noticia me entere por medio del Blog de Jono Bacon. [...]</p> [...] Esta noticia me entere por medio del Blog de Jono Bacon. [...]

]]> By: Peng’s links for Thursday, 4 December « I’m Just an Avatar http://www.jonobacon.org/2008/12/02/governments-and-free-content-policies/comment-page-1/#comment-127585 Peng’s links for Thursday, 4 December « I’m Just an Avatar Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:51:49 +0000 http://www.jonobacon.org/?p=1441#comment-127585 <p>[...] Bacon: Governments And Free Content Policies. The current website for president-elect Obama used to protect their content with a traditional [...]</p> [...] Bacon: Governments And Free Content Policies. The current website for president-elect Obama used to protect their content with a traditional [...]

]]> By: Blaise Alleyne http://www.jonobacon.org/2008/12/02/governments-and-free-content-policies/comment-page-1/#comment-127549 Blaise Alleyne Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:18:46 +0000 http://www.jonobacon.org/?p=1441#comment-127549 <p>I was about to post the Techdirt link too. It's a good question though, in general, "why <em>not</em> use a free license?", but the American government has adopted the public domain as the standard already. This is just an exception because Obama isn't in the White House yet.</p> I was about to post the Techdirt link too. It’s a good question though, in general, “why not use a free license?”, but the American government has adopted the public domain as the standard already. This is just an exception because Obama isn’t in the White House yet.

]]> By: Ryan Singer http://www.jonobacon.org/2008/12/02/governments-and-free-content-policies/comment-page-1/#comment-127500 Ryan Singer Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:10:06 +0000 http://www.jonobacon.org/?p=1441#comment-127500 <p>I was about to post what Randall just said. I was Ninja'd.</p> <p>check out: http://techdirt.com/articles/20081202/0254512992.shtml</p> I was about to post what Randall just said. I was Ninja’d.

check out: http://techdirt.com/articles/20081202/0254512992.shtml

]]> By: Randall Wood http://www.jonobacon.org/2008/12/02/governments-and-free-content-policies/comment-page-1/#comment-127498 Randall Wood Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:51:31 +0000 http://www.jonobacon.org/?p=1441#comment-127498 <p>If I recall correctly, the Government of the United States is incapable of copyrighting anything; everything it releases for unlimited distribution is automatically in the public domain, and is therefore not subject to any licenses.</p> <p>That said, I am not sure to what degree the US Government has to protect the copyrights of materials that it licenses; the need to protect the rights of non-government actors posting material on that site may have led to the copyright statement in the first place.</p> If I recall correctly, the Government of the United States is incapable of copyrighting anything; everything it releases for unlimited distribution is automatically in the public domain, and is therefore not subject to any licenses.

That said, I am not sure to what degree the US Government has to protect the copyrights of materials that it licenses; the need to protect the rights of non-government actors posting material on that site may have led to the copyright statement in the first place.

]]> By: jono http://www.jonobacon.org/2008/12/02/governments-and-free-content-policies/comment-page-1/#comment-127491 jono Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:20:12 +0000 http://www.jonobacon.org/?p=1441#comment-127491 <p>Mats Taraldsvik:</p> <blockquote> <p>NRK, or Norwegian Broadcasting, are trying, at least. Their first step was to make a popular series available DRM-free via BitTorrent (english) earlier this year. What prevents them from making most content available is, not suprisingly, licensing. The licences simply haven’t caught up with this ‘internet’-thing.</p> </blockquote> <p>That really interesting. So it seems some broadcasters are open to the technology but it falls down at the licensing. I know the BBC are stepping forward with open content - see the new BBC Plugin that we developed for Totem. I should ask my friend at the beeb, George, to weigh in.</p> <p>Joseph:</p> <blockquote> <p>I thought, after talking with employees at a few national labs, that all things produced by government employees were public domain. Is this not the case?</p> </blockquote> <p>I guess the first question is - which country?</p> <p>Jacob Hume:</p> <blockquote> <p>I’ll have to look into some of the Creative Commons licenses, and see if I can apply one of them. Thanks!</p> </blockquote> <p>Nice! Do let us know how you get on! :)</p> Mats Taraldsvik:

NRK, or Norwegian Broadcasting, are trying, at least. Their first step was to make a popular series available DRM-free via BitTorrent (english) earlier this year. What prevents them from making most content available is, not suprisingly, licensing. The licences simply haven’t caught up with this ‘internet’-thing.

That really interesting. So it seems some broadcasters are open to the technology but it falls down at the licensing. I know the BBC are stepping forward with open content – see the new BBC Plugin that we developed for Totem. I should ask my friend at the beeb, George, to weigh in.

Joseph:

I thought, after talking with employees at a few national labs, that all things produced by government employees were public domain. Is this not the case?

I guess the first question is – which country?

Jacob Hume:

I’ll have to look into some of the Creative Commons licenses, and see if I can apply one of them. Thanks!

Nice! Do let us know how you get on! :)

]]> By: Jacob Hume http://www.jonobacon.org/2008/12/02/governments-and-free-content-policies/comment-page-1/#comment-127490 Jacob Hume Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:35:55 +0000 http://www.jonobacon.org/?p=1441#comment-127490 <p>I run a local county government web site, and we also have a copyright notice at the bottom of our site. There wasn't any real intention behind it - that's just what I put at the bottom of all the sites I design for clients, so I threw it at the bottom of our page as a habit.</p> <p>I'll have to look into some of the Creative Commons licenses, and see if I can apply one of them. Thanks!</p> I run a local county government web site, and we also have a copyright notice at the bottom of our site. There wasn’t any real intention behind it – that’s just what I put at the bottom of all the sites I design for clients, so I threw it at the bottom of our page as a habit.

I’ll have to look into some of the Creative Commons licenses, and see if I can apply one of them. Thanks!

]]> By: Joseph http://www.jonobacon.org/2008/12/02/governments-and-free-content-policies/comment-page-1/#comment-127486 Joseph Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:58:45 +0000 http://www.jonobacon.org/?p=1441#comment-127486 <p>I thought, after talking with employees at a few national labs, that all things produced by government employees were public domain. Is this not the case?</p> I thought, after talking with employees at a few national labs, that all things produced by government employees were public domain. Is this not the case?

]]> By: ethana2 http://www.jonobacon.org/2008/12/02/governments-and-free-content-policies/comment-page-1/#comment-127483 ethana2 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:19:25 +0000 http://www.jonobacon.org/?p=1441#comment-127483 <p><</p> <p>p>Yeah, I signed that pretty quickly; it's good that things are being opened up like this; otherwise I wouldn't be able to be as in-tune with what's going on as I am; I don't watch TV, I don't own a Windows installation..</p> <p><</p> <p>p>I never saw the olympics this year.</p> <p>I very much look forward to transparency Obama will bring to the US government, even if I would prefer a meritocratic omniarchy to a democratic republic ;)</p> <

p>Yeah, I signed that pretty quickly; it’s good that things are being opened up like this; otherwise I wouldn’t be able to be as in-tune with what’s going on as I am; I don’t watch TV, I don’t own a Windows installation..

<

p>I never saw the olympics this year.

I very much look forward to transparency Obama will bring to the US government, even if I would prefer a meritocratic omniarchy to a democratic republic ;)

]]> By: Mats Taraldsvik http://www.jonobacon.org/2008/12/02/governments-and-free-content-policies/comment-page-1/#comment-127479 Mats Taraldsvik Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:27:10 +0000 http://www.jonobacon.org/?p=1441#comment-127479 <p>Well done!</p> <p>NRK, or Norwegian Broadcasting, are trying, at least. Their first step was to make <a href="http://nrkbeta.no/norwegian-broadcasting-nrk-makes-popular-series-available-drm-free-via-bittorrent/" rel="nofollow">a popular series available DRM-free via BitTorrent (english)</a> earlier this year. What prevents them from making most content available is, not suprisingly, licensing. The licences simply haven't caught up with this 'internet'-thing.</p> <p>The next step is free and open licenses (hopefully also for NRK).</p> <p>Unfortunately, the music- and film industry is guilty of the 'wrong mindset'. They don't want to give everything away, and I understand that. The problem that this causes, though, is the general scepticism towards 'free and open' solutions and licenses which governments and the ordinary joe have adapted. </p> <p>There are numerous 'sunshine'-stories and examples of great things that are not possible with closed licences. We need to shift the focus on free and open licenses from 'What, just giving it away?' to 'The possibilites are endless!'. Or something.</p> Well done!

NRK, or Norwegian Broadcasting, are trying, at least. Their first step was to make a popular series available DRM-free via BitTorrent (english) earlier this year. What prevents them from making most content available is, not suprisingly, licensing. The licences simply haven’t caught up with this ‘internet’-thing.

The next step is free and open licenses (hopefully also for NRK).

Unfortunately, the music- and film industry is guilty of the ‘wrong mindset’. They don’t want to give everything away, and I understand that. The problem that this causes, though, is the general scepticism towards ‘free and open’ solutions and licenses which governments and the ordinary joe have adapted.

There are numerous ’sunshine’-stories and examples of great things that are not possible with closed licences. We need to shift the focus on free and open licenses from ‘What, just giving it away?’ to ‘The possibilites are endless!’. Or something.

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