[WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: [A2k] Re: [Wsis-pct] IP Justice Comment to IGF on Top Policy Issues forAthens

[Norbert Bollow]

Taran Rampersad <cnd at knowprose.com> wrote:

> The problem I have with the GPL draft at this point is that it will give
> creators less options.

How so?  I think it gives me, in addition to all the options
that I had previously for licensing my work, the additional
option to license it in a copyleft way which is incompatible
with DRM but compatible with enforcing trademarks and with
enforcing defensive patents against aggressors.

Those who like DRM are still free to use it, but I am able to
prevent them from _redistributing_ _my_ work, or a derivative
work thereof, as part of a DRM scheme to which try to subject
third parties.

When I release a program that I have written as Free Software,
I want this activity to increase the amount of freedom which
exists in the world, and I want to take precautions against
my work having unintended effects of actually decreasing the
freedom which exists in the world.

In other words, because the GPLv3 draft has been created, I
have gained the ability to do what I want (thank you, FSF),
while pro-DRM people retain the ability to do what they want.

Of course I hope that over time, a social consensus will
emerge that DRM (in the sense of allowing anyone to impose
restrictions on what someone else's computer may be programmed
to do) is not acceptable in any form or shape.

In the meantime, those who are in favor of DRM vote with
their actions for their opinion, by using some kind of DRM
system for those creative works concerning which they control
copyright-related rights.  It's only fair when we who are
opposed to DRM can also vote with our actions for our opinion,
by using DRM-incompatible licensensing for our creative works.

Greetings,
Norbert