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Election 2006 (and beyond): Digital Copyright Canada

Re: Ask Great Granny, and she can tell you a story about copyright...

From: Russell McOrmond <russell_-at-_flora.ca>
To: flora-admin-help_-at-_flora.org
Date: Sat, 31 May 2003 13:45:50 -0400 (EDT)

*sigh*

  I think this is getting to the point where your misinterpretation of
events is just wasting everyones time.  Please get back to us once you
have consulted your lawyer, and stopped your borderline character
assassinations in the meantime.

On Thu, 29 May 2003, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

> As you've explained repeatedly, the language you proposed is for YOUR
> protection, not for the protection of authors. If copyright is ceded to
> you, you (or whomever has ownership of the matieral at any point in the
> future) will control subsequent use and attribution.

  There are only so many way I can inform you you are wrong both in your
interpretation of my motivations and in your interpretation of the law.  
Since you don't trust my legal opinion, seek the opinion of a lawyer.  You 
can also talk to other Pednet administrators if you want to seek differing 
opinions on your characterization of me.

  Moral rights (which includes the right of attribution) can be waved, but
they can not be ceded to someone else.  If you don't yet know about moral
rights, and protecting what Ms Dickson was wanting to protect, then please
do some research.

  Use rights are largely an economic right, and FLORA.org clearly was
never intended for the distribution of commercial works.  You can
(incorrectly)  believe that it is unjust for me to expect people to wave
economic rights as a condition of the use of the $Free$ services of
FLORA.org, but that has always been the intention.  If I now have to
clarify for a few what most people I have spoken to knew from the
beginning, it just indicates that it is appropriate for me to be
publishing this clarification.

> You've clearly stated that your intent is to allow what happened to Ms.
> Dickson to happen. With or without proper attribution, the situation was
> unjust.

  As I have warned before, you should be careful in confusing your
different interpretation of the law with you misrepresenting my intent
which is getting dangerously close to an attack on my character.

  Where you have yet to indicate the authority for your opinion on
Copyright law, I have indicated I've read the Canadian copyright act and
am involved in international "Intellectual Property" debates including
making numerous submissions -- even under contract -- to the Canadian
government.

---
 Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/> 
 Governance software that controls ICT, automates government policy, or
 electronically counts votes, shouldn't be bought any more than 
 politicians should be bought.  -- http://www.flora.ca/russell/

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