-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Minor clarification one of Fred's statements:
>> My core question is why is CC not best placed to promote and develop >> commons friendly law/policy? > > > This is because CC is a 501(c)3 and cannot, according to law, endorse any > laws or anyone running for, or in office. This is a sacrifice they had to > make in order to become a non-profit corporation with tax-deductible > donations. It is also a sacrifice that FreeCulture.org has been long > contemplating and attempting to implement. If what you're looking for is a > Political Action Committee, consider the Information Policy Action > Committee, who, though currently appears dormant, is intending to develop > commons friendly law and policy. This is not quite accurate. As a 501(c)(3), CC can conduct activities for research or educational purposes. For instance, they could publish a book entitled, "Why Copyright Sucks (and How to Fix It)". They could circulate a model law and research why it would be so awesome. What they cannot do, primarily, is (a) endorse any candidate or party for public office, or (b) spend more than a certain amount on lobbying, i.e. trying to influence the outcome of legislative or executive decisions. CC has, in fact, submitted amicus curiae briefs on court cases, filed comments in executive rulemakings, etc. Other 501(c)(3) organizations in this issue arena spend more of their time working directly with government, e.g. EFF or Public Knowledge. But again, the bulk of their work must be limited to charitable, research, educational, scientific, etc. purposes, with limitations on attempting to influence government decisions. It is not only copyright law that is byzantine and confusing :) Gavin -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.3 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFF5MqHtLXQdLhFpekRAtNDAJ9RJJVfDXcgeZR2eY8vkO9FD1B4yQCfQvMc qTgSWP6O/Bsg4QjfS0CSWCw= =e0Ud -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] http://freeculture.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss
