[Wikimedia-l] Re: Seven Wikimedia chapters rejected as permanent observers to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hi all,

I just saw this thread. I hardly engage with this list nowadays, in order
to keep my sanity, but I need to set one thing straight: The initiative to
join WIPO came from (a couple of) European chapters years ago. It was these
chapters and me personally who were asking (even pressuring!) the WMF to
apply. Then when the WMF finally applied and was rejected (because of
China, not because of any other delegation) it was an initiative by these
chapters to try it themselves the next year. They then contacted other
chapters to join them.

I strongly reject the notion of strings being attached to affiliates
through funding to apply to join WIPO. It is simply not the case and it
sounds like you are charging the WMF and the affiliates with conspiracy.
Writing this without any proof or prior knowledge of the subject is neither
encyclopaedic, nor neutral. There's no complot here.

As for the press release. Yes, it would have been more accurate to point to
all these countries, point taken. It is also obvious for anyone who has
followed the process that these countries wouldn't have opposed it without
China picking this fight a few years ago, so singling China out is not
misplaced in my mind. Still, the criticism will be taken into account for
future communications.

Cheers,
Dimi



На вт, 26.07.2022 г. в 5:06 ч. Gnangarra  написа:

> I acknowledge the disappointment of those Affiliates, and movement in
> general this is worth a statement from the WMF but its very poor politics
> to single out China.
>
> It reads as if its almost an AUKUS driven
>  press release, I think its wrong to
> ignore the other countries like Russia, Belarus, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan,
> Tajikistan, Iran, Syria, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Nicaragua, Cuba, Bolivia,
> Venezuela, and North Korea(thanks Andreas i copied your list rather than
> typing).  Our biggest pillar is being neutral in how we present information
> and the WMF should never take a stance of breaking that neutrality on an
> issue without first seeking community support as was done with SOPA. Its
> that aspect I find more disappointing than not being admitted to WIPO as
> permanent members.
>
> As a side issue I would also question the motivation around the underlying
> reason for Affiliates  trying to do this whether its a back door move by
> the WMF due to it being rejected twice previously. It makes me wonder what
> other strings are being attached to funding for what should be independent
> Affiliates.
>
> Gnangarra
>
>
> On Tue, 26 Jul 2022 at 07:52, The Cunctator  wrote:
>
>> Having read the Foundation press release, I have to say that if it were a
>> Wikipedia page, I would have edited it since it is quite misleading as
>> written. I understand the reticence to mention other countries since I
>> expect you want to portray China as a rogue actor here and I'm sympathetic
>> to that agenda but, on the other hand, being encyclopedic and truthful
>> really is kind of our brand.
>>
>> On Mon, Jul 25, 2022, 11:16 AM Andreas Kolbe  wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Jan,
>>>
>>> Well, the accuracy of the press release would be enhanced if it
>>> mentioned the support China received from over a dozen other countries.
>>>
>>> This isn't just my opinion:
>>>
>>> https://twitter.com/Wikiland/status/1550515724673761280
>>>
>>> Congratulations on the ECOSOC accreditation.
>>>
>>> Andreas
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, Jul 25, 2022 at 1:36 PM Jan Gerlach 
>>> wrote:
>>>
 Hi Andreas

 China was in fact the only country to oppose the Wikimedia chapters'
 request for observer status. Other countries for political or unknown
 reasons may have aligned with China's position on process, but no country
 besides China unilaterally or independently opposed the Wikimedia chapters'
 request.

 Relatedly, you may have seen that the Wikimedia Foundation just
 obtained accreditation at the UN's Economic and Social Affairs Council
 where a similar situation was unblocked by a vote of the member countries:


 https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2022/07/22/wikimedia-foundation-earns-accreditation-to-the-united-nations-economic-and-social-affairs-council-ecosoc/


 Best,
 Jan


 ==



 Jan Gerlach
 Public Policy Director
 Wikimedia Foundation
 1 Montgomery Street, Suite 1600
 San Francisco, CA 94104
 jgerl...@wikimedia.org


 Andreas Kolbe  schrieb am Fr., 22. Juli 2022,
 19:44:

> Dear all,
>
> A week ago, the WMF issued a press release, "Seven Wikimedia chapters
> rejected as permanent observers to the World Intellectual Property
> Organization (WIPO)":
>
>
> https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2022/07/15/seven-wikimedia-chapters-rejected-as-permanent-observers-to-wipo/
>
> This stated, in part, "China was the only country to oppose the
> Wikimedia chapters’ request for observer status, again, claiming that
> 

[Wikimedia-l] Re: Movement funding questions

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hi Samuel,

Thanks for structuring these questions regarding funding and fundraising. I
just wanted to pitch in a +1.

It would be very useful to have answers to some of these for our public
facing work. Such questions pop up naturally in conversations and the more
granular we can be in our answers the better the reaction we get.

Cheers,
Dimi

На пн, 17.05.2021 г. в 21:13 ч. Samuel Klein  написа:

> Dear list,
>
> Risker posed an excellent question in the AffCom thread about *review and
> development of movement funding*, which could use its own dedicated
> thread.  Riffing on the theme, here are a dozen questions for anyone who
> knows part of the answer -- particularly those who helped develop the 2019
> recommendations on resource allocation
> 
>  ,
> the 2020 approach to hubs and participatory resource allocation
> ,
> and the grants strategy relaunch
> 
> .
>
> We can move this discussion to meta 
> if the thread becomes unwieldy.  (:
>
> *1. Current state of movement funding*
>
>  1a. Roughly what % of global fundraising is currently allocated to
> affiliates, or other entities + projects not run by the WMF?  (*my poor
> guess*)
>
>  1b. Roughly how much regional fundraising goes directly to major
> affiliates?
>
>  1c. Which affiliates with annual plan grants have been growing over time,
> and how is the expansion of existing budgets approved?
>
>  1d. Which affiliates have gotten their first APG in the past five years,
> and how has that developed over time?
>
> *2. Current review process*
>
>  2a. How is funding by WMF of movement affiliates (general operations, and
> large specific projects) currently determined?  Does the Board engage with
> this?
>
>  2b. Is the funding of affiliate work linked to goals of increasing equity
> across the world, and supporting underrepresented communities? If so, how /
> how is this visualized?
>
>  2c. What other mechanisms for focusing and allocating resources are good
> examples to replicate?
>
>  2d. What other bilateral projects (such as joint projects, and grant  or
> microgrant programs), run by large affiliates and hubs other than the WMF,
> currently exist?  Which seem like examples to replicate?
>
> *3. Desired futures!*
>
>  3a. What movement bodies are expected to play any role in recommendations
> about funding (extending, withdrawing, denying funding) to new and existing
> affiliates, now that the FDC is inactive?
>
>  3b. Is there a possibility of the FDC returning? How do past FDC members
> have about this? What was found to be good and bad about the FDC process?
>
>  3c.  What elements of this is the global council expected to take up in
> its first year? What elements are hubs expected to take up, now and in the
> future?
>
>  3d. What roles do we envision each of {WMF, hubs, affiliates, community
> members} to play in reviewing movement budgets/plans and the volume and
> focus of future funding [re]allocation?
>
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Moving the technical infrastructure out of the US

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hi all,

We have had discussions on this with many Wikimedians over the years, but
frankly, the issue never seemed pressing enough to pursue more seriously.
Some points made that I remember where:


   - Perhaps it is enough to just have back-up servers in another
   jurisdictions that could kick-in and whose capacity could quickly be
   upgraded in case of need.
   - Nordic jurisdictions like Iceland and Norway frequently came up with
   the arguments: stable political systems, solid digital rights track
   records, a climate that helps save energy on cooling servers & availability
   of hydropower (i.e. environmental benefits).

I think such a move would require serious studies and long, community-wide
debates. I can not assess how urgent it is. But then again, waiting until
it is a real issue is probably not a great idea.

Cheers,
Dimi

На ср, 30.09.2020 г. в 11:35 Dan Garry (Deskana)  написа:

> On Wed, 30 Sep 2020 at 09:49, Erik Moeller  wrote:
>
> > I hope that some preliminary contingency plans exist or are being
> > developed, and I'm sure that the movement-wide debate will widen if
> > the US continues its downward slide into authoritarianism.
> >
>
> I agree with Erik. Even under the Obama administration, there were threats
> to the existence of the movement, such as SOPA [1] which lead to a blackout
> [2]. One can extrapolate from current events that these threats could well
> get larger and more frequent, rather than smaller and less frequent, should
> someone in the US Government decide to focus their attention on attacking
> Wikipedia and free knowledge. It would be prudent to create a contingency
> plan which includes an exploration of other options for a location of
> operation for the Wikimedia Foundation and/or its servers, with their
> advantages and disadvantages. I personally wouldn't necessarily advocate
> for making the plan public; that would be ideal, but I'd be comforted
> merely to know it exists.
>
> On Tue, 29 Sep 2020 at 23:36, Joseph Seddon 
> wrote:
>
> > I believe options are going to be explored for sustainability but right
> now
> > legally speaking the US is the best jurisdiction for hosting us now and
> the
> > foreseeable future.
> >
>
> I agree with this too. For now, the United States remains the best place
> for the organisation to operate out of, and a move should not be actively
> considered.
>
> Dan
>
> [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act
> [2]:
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_against_SOPA_and_PIPA#Wikimedia_community
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] European Commission Copyright Consultation

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

The two sets (http://youcan.fixcopyright.eu/en/full/?guide=wikimedia and
the Meta answers) are parallel efforts. We couldn't have been sure (and
still aren't) how well the experiment on Meta will work and therefore
created a ready-to-use answering set.



2014-01-27 Federico Leva (Nemo) 

> Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov, 27/01/2014 10:27:
>
>  @Nemo @Oliver
>>
>> http://youcan.fixcopyright.eu/en/full/?guide=wikimedia contains full
>> answers, not only the yes/no parts. The written text appears in a yellow
>> "hint box" above the white answering box. You can either copy the yellow
>> box text into the white box one and edit it then.
>>
>
> Sorry but I get more and more confused. :) Do you plan to edit that text
> based on the Meta pages? Is each entity/individual supposed to
> independently assemble their answer picking from both the guide and the
> Meta pages (and whatever else they wish)? Please document this on the Meta
> pages.
>
>
> Nemo
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] European Commission Copyright Consultation

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

@Nemo @Oliver

http://youcan.fixcopyright.eu/en/full/?guide=wikimedia contains full
answers, not only the yes/no parts. The written text appears in a yellow
"hint box" above the white answering box. You can either copy the yellow
box text into the white box one and edit it then.

Dimi


2014-01-27 Oliver Keyes 

> Where do I go to copyedit the suggested answers? ;).
>
>
> On 26 January 2014 11:08, Federico Leva (Nemo)  wrote:
>
> > Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov, 21/01/2014 17:12:
> >
> >  Sorry, forgot the citation marker. The link to the "answering guide" is
> >> the
> >> [2]http://youcan.fixcopyright.eu/en/full/?guide=wikimedia
> >>
> >
> > That contains only yes/no answers, right? It's a bit hard to navigate the
> > mass of text and I don't manage to see if there's any beyond the
> questions.
> > :)
> >
> > Nemo
> >
> >
> > ___
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> >
>
>
>
> --
> Oliver Keyes
> Product Analyst
> Wikimedia Foundation
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] European Commission Copyright Consultation

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

>
>  On the one hand, individual Wikimedians and EU chapters participating in
>> the Free Knowledge Advocacy Group EU [1] have worked together to draft an
>> "answering guide" for the consultation. Each chapter, individual or other
>> organisation is free to use these answers in whole or in parts to produce
>> their own submission.
>>
>
> Where is/will this be? Is this the same thing as <
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/European_Commission_copyright_consultation
> >?
>
>
>
Sorry, forgot the citation marker. The link to the "answering guide" is the
[2]http://youcan.fixcopyright.eu/en/full/?guide=wikimedia
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] European Commission Copyright Consultation

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hi Nemo,

Well, as I said it is an experiment and we can't be sure someting coherent
will come out of it. Therefore, in a true "liquid lobbying" fashion, we're
running a two-tiered strategy.

On the one hand, individual Wikimedians and EU chapters participating in
the Free Knowledge Advocacy Group EU [1] have worked together to draft an
"answering guide" for the consultation. Each chapter, individual or other
organisation is free to use these answers in whole or in parts to produce
their own submission.

On the other hand we have put the entire thing on Meta. [3] If the movement
manages to come up with decent answers, then again everyone will be free to
use the answers in whole or in parts.

So, we're making two efforts, one in a thematic group of Wikimedians with a
lot of direct communication and another one straight away on meta. The
advantage is that we will be able to compare the results, the strengths and
weaknesses of each process. We also have a back-up to rely upon should
either attempt fail to produce meaningful answers.

About the 2009 Green Paper - it looks like a great effort was made. Feel
free to work some of the points into the current consultaiton, if they
should fit ;)

Dimi

[1]https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EU_policy
[2]http://youcan.fixcopyright.eu/en/full/?guide=wikimedia
[3]https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EU_policy



2014/1/21 Federico Leva (Nemo) 

> Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov, 21/01/2014 15:51:
>
>  We see this as a social experiment, since no one until now has ever
>> attempted to answer collaboratively and publicly such short-termed and
>> in-depth consultations.
>>
>
> Yep, it's a big effort. I've not yet understood how you plan to make a
> coherent text though and who's going to send it (any/each chapter the same
> text in English?).
> The 2009 green paper also had dozens questions and a more in-depth answer
> than what we have so far. :)
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Green_Paper>
>
> Nemo
>
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[Wikimedia-l] European Commission Copyright Consultation

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hi everyone,

Just a quick reminder that we have 6 more days to collaboratively draft
answers to the European Commission's copyright consultation.

The idea is to give the global, online community a chance to come up with
answers that, if coherent enough, can then be officially given to the
Commission.

We see this as a social experiment, since no one until now has ever
attempted to answer collaboratively and publicly such short-termed and
in-depth consultations.

The corresponding link is:

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/European_Commission_copyright_consultation

Have fun answering!

Dimi
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] How lovely live communication works worldwide

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hi,

I will try today, for the first time, Palava.tv. Don't know if it's any
good, but it is run by a German non-for profit that rely on donations only
(thus similar to our sustainability model).

If it works well enough it might be worth keeping on one's shortlist. Will
let you know.

Dimi


2013/12/5 Jean-Frédéric 

> Hi,
>
> 2013/12/4 Manuel Schneider 
>
> > Am 03.12.2013 23:33, schrieb Tilman Bayer:
> >
> >> > Note that this solution is still based on proprietary software, in
> that
> >> it
> >> > requires users to install a Flash plugin.
> >>
> >
> > well, BigBlueButton is completely open source, including the flash
> > applets used.
> >
>
> Except that it appears the required Flash version is not available under
> Linux, except if using the proprietary Chrome.
>
> Back then in April I extensively tested BBB - the found issues were
> reported to the developers.
> 
> 
>
> These issues will not be fixed, given the current work done with HTML5 +
> WebRTC.
>
> --
> Jean-Frédéric
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[Wikimedia-l] EU Policy Monitoring Report for November

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Sorry for cross-posting on Wikimedia-l, but last month there was a problem
with getting the message out over Advocacy Advisors. I also believe that
this month is particularly relevant.


EU Policy November Report

a.k.a.

Keep it short, stupid!

Groetjes uit Brussel! [1]

As the days are getting shorter in the Northern Hemisphere and so will be
this report. That is due to popular request and not lack of humongous
amounts of information. We can always take a topic further and go deeper,
just give me a hint.

Dimi

tl;dr

Copyright reform dialogue,PSI guidelines and study on the “contribution of
public domain works and open licensing to the European economy” likely to
come.


ToC

1. New Copyright Reform Consultation Announced

2. Public Sector Information Hearing in Luxembourg

3. Study on Public Domain and Open Licensing by EC

4. Trademark Directive and Encyclopedias

-
-

#copyright #reform #l4e

1. The Tragic End of Licenses 4 Europe and New Hope for Copyright Reform

Why is this relevant?

It is the lead-up to the now confirmed future consultation on a wider
copyright reform.

What happened?

The final plenary of Licenses for Europe (European Commission stakeholder
dialogue on copyright topics)  took place in Brussels [2] without
delivering any palpable, legislative results or even proposals. It was
complemented by an event at the European Parliament concentrating on the
aspect of text and data mining. [3] Me and Mathias Schindler (WMDE)
participated at both events. In the latter, Mathias presented opportunities
how Wikimedia projects can be used in text mining applications. At both
events we also supported the point of view, that mining is essentially
reading using sophisticated tools and that a general debate on copyright is
necessary, instead of coming up with new licensing requirements for yet
another range of cases. A last remark from the EP event: It was the first
time I have ever heard a conservative EPP politician (Zalewski, PL) calling
for shortening copyright terms and decriminalising file sharing.

What comes next?

According to Commissioner Barnier, the European Commission will “very soon
launch a public consultation on copyright”. [4] Licenses 4 Europe was
supposed to be the industry's chance to solve the problems on its own. This
has clearly not happened, so that even Barnier had to admit that “a
legislative proposal is very well possible [*fr. bien possible*] because
markets cannot resolve all problems. I am not satisfied with the results
and with the current situation.”. My personal guess is that we will see an
announcement in December and a start of actual stakeholder consultation
somewhere in March 2014. The actual proposal will have to be finalised by
the new Commission at the end of 2014. One could only guess about the
scope, but people from within the Commission have told us that “big
discussions” are going on inside the institutions with “major upsets” on
the table.

-
-

#PSI

2. Public Sector Information Hearing in Luxembourg

Why is this relevant?

The 2013 amendments to the PSI Directive [5] need to be implemented. As
many member states and institutions are having a hard time understanding
the subject matter, the Commission wants to release best practice
guidelines.

What happened?

Again me and Mathias Schindler (WMDE) participated in the hearing.
Beforehand we had coordinated our position with the Open Knowledge
Foundation, Creative Commons, LAPSI [6] and several other like-minded
groups. Our general talking points were as follows:



   -

   No NC restrictions (we also gave out our relevant brochure [7])


   -

   Free of charge access (since charging for it would be prohibitive and
   result in lack of income anyway)
   -

   Use of “standard” licenses (e.g. cc0 or cc-by) instead of creating new
   ones (see [8])


What comes next?

The Commission will have another discussion round with member states’
national representatives and then move on to writing said guidelines.

-
-

#IPObservatory #OHIM #IPvalue #PDvalue

3. IP Observatory Open to Commissioning Study on Importance of PD&Free
Licenses

Why is this relevant?

The EC has created an Observatory of Intellectual Property Rights
Infringements (run by OHIM) that is meant to serve as a place where
narratives regarding intellectual property are shaped.

What happened?

Me and Nikolas Becker attended the plenary last month (see last monitoring
report for further details [9]). As we felt that the commissioned reports
are biased towards underlining the how crucial intellectual property is to
the European economy, we asked for a study on the contribution of the
public domain and open licensing to the European economy. As we followed up
this request and also had like-minded organisations ask for a similar step,
we have now received an official answer that the OHIM will try to include
such research in their 2014 working programme. [

[Wikimedia-l] EU Policy Monitoring Report - October

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Sorry for cross-posting (from Advocacy Advisors-l), but I want to
popularise the mailing list.


Hello, everybody!

This month there has been some gossip about legislative or non-legislative
copyright reform which might be proposed either before or after the
elections and might include an opt-in provision or not... Well, at least
there’s talk about it.

Dimi


Past editions on Meta: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EU_policy/Monitor/MR



tl;dr

Open Access is to be compulsory in the EU’s Horizon 2020 funding programme.
The European Court of Human Rights has confirmed that an Estonian website
is liable for third-party comments on their website. The European
Parliament LIBE committee has passed its version of the Data Protection
Regulation, making the "right to be forgotten" into the "right to be
erased".


ToC

1. European Court of Justice Backs Freedom of Information

2. European Court Rules Website Liable for Third-Party Comments

3. Studies on Intellectual Property Released & IP Infringements Observatory
Meeting

4. Open Access in EU’s Horizon 2020 Funding Programme

5. Data Protection Regulation - Committee Vote

6. Commission Requesting Citizens’ Feedback on Internet Policies

7. Creative Commons Takes Global Position on Copyright Reform

-
-

#ECJ #FoI

1. European Court of Justice Backs Freedom of Information

Why is this relevant?

Freedom of Information is our community’s top ranked topic in our Policy
Issues Survey. [14] Apart from being a cornerstone of transparency, the
access to more government documents would provide reliable sources for
Wikipedia articles, thereby improving the overall quality.

What happened?

 Documents requested from the European Council under Freedom of Information
law were released only after masking member states’ positions (i.e. which
countries were in favour or against certain points). The Spanish based NGO
promoting free access to information - Access Info Europe - appealed to the
European Court of Justice against this practice. In the court case the
European Parliament, the United Kingdom and Greece sided with Access Info
Europe, while France, Spain and the Czech Republic supported the Council.

The ECJ ruled that the effectiveness of the decision making process does
not trump the need for transparency, thereby prohibiting the erasure of
Member States’ positions from released documents on a general basis. [15]


What comes next?

The European Council will have to release documents informing the public
which countries were for or against a certain text. Further attempts by
civil society organisations to “open up” the Council are expected, as it is
still considered the least transparent of the EU’s institutions.

In the future, public institutions will need to conclusively prove stated
reasons when refusing access to information.

-
-

#ECHR

2. European Court Rules Website Liable for Third-Party Comments

Why is this relevant?

A landmark decision that makes internet platform operators liable for user
generated content on their websites. This decision is not only about the
specific case, but has to be regarded against the backdrop of freedom of
speech online.

What happened?

 The European Court of Human Rights (Council of Europe, Strasbourg) has
upheld an Estonian court’s decision making a news portal operated by Delfi
AS liable for clearly illegal (defamatory) comments, even though website
moderators had deleted them after being informed. [7]

What comes next?

Civil society organisations have claimed that this decision will lead to
even more legal uncertainty and preventive, privately-enforced censorship.
An appeal to the Grand Chamber of the ECHR is to be expected. [8]


-
-

#IPstudy #LSE #OHIM

3. Studies on Intellectual Property Released & IP Infringements Observatory
Meeting

Why is this relevant?

Albeit to different extents, such studies occupy public and political
debates and help shape the narratives of the debates. With copyright being
seeded as one of the first major reform initiatives of the next Commission
in 2014, the current  back and forth will set the starting points of the
expected consultation and stakeholder dialogue.

What happened?

 The European Commission has founded an European Observatory on
Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights to “understand the
challenges” and “enhance cooperation” in the field of counterfeiting and
piracy. [1] As part of the initiative it has commissioned a study on the
Contribution of Intellectual Property to the Economy, that it plans to
update every two years. This study claims that 50% of the EU economy is
“IPR intensive”. [2] In a strange coincidence, the same week this study was
released, the London School of Economics released their own research,
stating that there is no proof online file-sharing is hurting the industry.
[3]

What comes next?

As the Commiss

Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia France] Welcome to Nathalie, our new ED

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Welcome to the Movement! Sure you will fit right in!

Dimi


2013/10/1 Christophe Henner 

> Hi everyone,
>
> We have the great pleasure to announce Nathalie Martin is starting
> today as the new Executive Director of Wikimédia France!
>
> Her hiring is the tipping point of a process we started last January
> when we hired a HR firm to audit our organization and support us in
> finding the right person for this key role.
>
> With a background in political science and organizations strategy,
> Nathalie has a deep experience managing several associations of
> similar or bigger size as Wikimedia France. Even though she is not
> from the movement, we believe she'll adapt quickly to who we are.
>
> She came to Wikimania in Hong-Kong, and some of you may have had the
> pleasure to meet her. By coming to Wikimania she had the luck to
> experience in 3 day what Wikimedia is at large, to meet wikimedians
> from all around the world. I'm happy to say that she too suffered from
> PWD (Post-Wikimania Depression).
>
> If you need to contact her, her email address is
> nathalie.mar...@wikimedia.fr. Please keep in mind that it's her first
> day within our movement and she still will need few days to adapt to
> our awesomeness
>
> Please join us in welcoming Nathalie!
>
> Best,
>
> PS: please keep her in copy of your answers :)
>
> Christophe HENNER | Vice-chair
> ---
> › Mail : christophe.hen...@wikimedia.fr
> › Mobile : +33(0)6 29 35 65 94
> › Tel : +33(0)5 62 89 12 01
> › Twitter : @Wikimedia_Fr
> -
> Wikimédia France | Association pour le libre partage de la
> connaissance | Visitez notre blog http://blog.wikimedia.fr
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Fwd: FOSDEM update

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hi,

by then WMBE might already be founded and affiliated. However, we already
have people willing to work on this aswell. If you need any local
assistance, feel free to get in touch.

Dimi


2013/9/25 Quim Gil 

> Hi, just a heads up about http://fosdem.org - Brussels 1 & 2 Feb 2014.
>
> One of the biggest and coolest grassroots open source events in the World
> - and the main one in Europe.
>
> European orgs and individuals loving software freedom: Wikimedia wants to
> have a stand. Let's do something cool! Get involved.
>
> Discussion better at 
> https://www.mediawiki.org/**wiki/Events/FOSDEMor
>  wikitech-l.
>
> Thank you!
>
> PS: read below
>
>
>  Original Message 
> Subject: FOSDEM update
> Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 10:39:58 -0700
> From: Quim Gil 
> To: Wikimedia developers 
> 
> >
>
> Hi, about FOSDEM - 
> https://www.mediawiki.org/**wiki/Events/FOSDEM
>
> Brussels / 1 & 2 February 2014
>
> On 1 Oct we will know whether our proposal for a Wiki DevRoom has been
> accepted or not. This is a DevRoom we have proposed together with XWiki
> and TikiWiki and is open to all wiki topics. If we we get it accepted we
> will organize a call for participation for this DevRoom.
>
> The call for main track session proposals is open until 1 Oct.
> https://fosdem.org/2014/news/**2013-08-06-call-for-**participation/
>
> ... and the call for lightning talks and stands is open until 20 Nov.
> https://fosdem.org/2014/news/**2013-09-17-call-for-**
> participation-part-two/
>
> You are encouraged to submit lightning talk proposals! Don worry if you
> are unsure between submitting a session for a lightning talk or a
> devroom: you can contact both and then they suggest you what to do.
>
> Wikimedia wants to have a stand, and we have received an offer to help
> from the nascent Wikimedia Belgium chapter. Probably more help can be
> aggregated from CH, DE, FR, NL, UK + other tech contributors in the
> region? Let's do something really cool! To be discussed.
>
> --
> Quim Gil
> Technical Contributor Coordinator @ Wikimedia Foundation
> http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/**User:Qgil
>
>
>
> __**_
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> Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.**org 
> Unsubscribe: 
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/**mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
>  ?subject=**unsubscribe>
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[Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia Momvent: Policy Topics and Priorities Questionnaire

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

tl;dr
Help us decide which policy issues are important to Wikimedia by filling
out a questionnaire [1]

Hello everybody,

Wikimania and most people's summer holidays are over, in Brussels
bureaucrats are slowly retunring to work and it is time for us to step up
our activity. This being said, there is not monitoring report of August,
instead, please help us get as many Wikimedians as possible to fill out our
survey!

We as a community are an active and prominent part of "the internet".
Still, we can't deal with each and every issue it comes across.

We are trying to build up a structure [2] that lets us monitor policy
procedures with future impact on our work and are hoping to articulate our
needs and wishes. It is therefore crucial to us to know what as many people
people within our movmement think and which topics they deem important. In
short:

Which policy issues should be on our priority list?

The survey [1] takes less than 10 minutes (I personally nailed a 6:34) and
will help us immensely with our strategy planning. It is intended to also
define the questions in a survey we are planning to send out to political
parties ahead of the European Parliament elections 2014.

Thanks for the help and have a great autumn!
Dimi

[1]
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vSrFiYCAN-RPXdikdkkHmT_ZzWPdD5DcDpMye9uAiHM/viewform
[2]http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EU_policy
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] About the concentration of resources in SF (it was: "Communication plans for community engagement"

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

>
>
> And it has additional problems like finding technical staff at a reasonable
> price there and having to relocate people from all over the world, when
> some development centers could be open at other locations too, which might
> be cheaper:
>
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_budget#Development_centers_in_other_places_outside_US
>
> Why is this not done? Wikidata is being developed that way, so it is
> possible. Is there anything against repeating the experience?
>
>
I am thinking the same thing every time I read that "it is hard to find
programmers in San Francisco for the offered salary" (a recurring statement
over the years). We are a global movement with global projects and global
goals. Secondly, in the IT industry having several locations on a global
scale is more than common. Thridly, in the software engineering field
employees are paid "good" salaries even in poor countries (albeit
comparatively cheaper than in the Silicon Valley). Therefore we wouldn't
have to worry about being accused of abusing underpaid labour.

Dimi
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Wikimedia Uruguay recognized as newest chapter

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

On or off list: Welcome, Uruguay!


2013/7/14 Ziko van Dijk 

> Hello,
> Are there Urugyans on this list? Otherwise, it might make more sense to
> give the general email or chair's mail address and congratulate there. :-)
> Kind regards
> Ziko
>
>
>
> 
> Ziko van Dijk
> voorzitter / president Wikimedia Nederland
> deputy chair Wikimedia Chapters Association Council
>
> Vereniging Wikimedia Nederland
> Postbus 167
> 3500 AD Utrecht
> http://wikimedia.nl
>
> 
>
>
> 2013/7/14 Samuel Klein 
>
> > ++ Welcome to the new chapter. W:MUY WIKI !
> > On Jul 14, 2013 12:35 PM, "Tonmoy Khan"  wrote:
> >
> > > Congratulations WM Uruguay:)
> > >
> > > --
> > > Ali Haidar Khan
> > > Treasurer, Wikimedia Bangladesh
> > >
> > > Sent from mobile
> > > On Jul 14, 2013 10:10 PM, "Bence Damokos"  wrote:
> > >
> > > > Dear all,
> > > >
> > > > It is my pleasure to bring to your attention the Board's latest
> > > resolution
> > > > that recognizes Wikimedia Uruguay as the newest Wikimedia chapter:
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Resolution:Recognition_of_Wikimedia_Uruguay
> > > >
> > > > Please welcome them to the Wikimedia family with open arms and wish
> > them
> > > > success in furthering our mission in Uruguay!
> > > >
> > > > Best regards,
> > > >
> > > > Bence Damokos,
> > > > Chair, Affiliations Committee
> > > >
> > > > ___
> > > > Please note: all replies sent to this mailing list will be
> immediately
> > > > directed to Wikimedia-l, the public mailing list of the Wikimedia
> > > > community. For more information about Wikimedia-l:
> > > > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
> > > > ___
> > > > WikimediaAnnounce-l mailing list
> > > > wikimediaannounc...@lists.wikimedia.org
> > > > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaannounce-l
> > > >
> > > > ___
> > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list
> > > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > > > Unsubscribe:
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > > > 
> > > >
> > > ___
> > > Wikimedia-l mailing list
> > > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > > 
> > ___
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> > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > 
> >
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Hacking Brussels: 1st EU Policy Monitoring Report (May)

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hi Jane,

Fair points!

It says Hacking Brussels, because that will be the title of the
presentation in Hong Kong [1] and I wanted to brand it a little already. I
realise now that it is out-of-context and misleading and I should have just
left it at the Monitoring Report part as to not confuse people.

I assumed zero access is already a well known term with products like
"Wikipedia Zero" and "0.facebook.com" being available on many markets for
years now. But I realise that some people might find it unclear. I will
make sure to insert more links in the future to avoid such situations. As
for zero access, the definition is "free of charge" to people who have no
internet subscription.

Dimi

EU Policy portal: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EU_Policy

[1]
https://wikimania2013.wikimedia.org/wiki/Submissions/A_Roadmap_to_Brussels:_How_to_monitor_legislative_procedures_the_wiki_way




2013/5/29 Jane Darnell 

> Why does this thread start with "Hacking Brussels" instead of "Keep
> Wikipedia free to read and re-use for all IPs in EU countries"?
> Also you might want to link out to a page explaining "zero access",
> because that sounds like "no access"
>
> 2013/5/29, Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov  >:
> >  Hello, everybody!
> >
> > Sorry for crossposting if you are on advocacy-advisors (if you aren't,
> join
> > the party!), but we'd like to encourage comments or questions on this on
> a
> > wider scale, so I believe it makes good sense if we also post it here the
> > first few times.
> >
> > Dimi
> >
> > The portal for this group is: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EU_Policy
> >
> > *
> > *
> >
> > *tl;dr*
> >
> > The first monitoring report on EU Policy strives to give a brief overview
> > over current legislative debates in Brussels that might be of interest to
> > the Wikimedia movement. We have five topics:
> >
> >
> >
> > 1. Collective Rights Management and Online Use
> >
> > 2. EU-US Trade Agreement
> >
> > 3. Stakeholder Dialogue on Copyright
> >
> > 4. EU Data Protection
> >
> > 5. Network Neutrality
> >
> >
> >
> > *#CRM*
> >
> > *Collective Rights Management and Online Use of Music Works *
> >
> >
> >
> > *What’s going on?*
> >
> > The European Commission’s directive proposal *on collective management of
> > copyright and related rights and multi-territorial licensing of rights in
> > musical works for online uses in the internal market *[1]* *has entered
> the
> > next stage of the legislative process by being submitted to the European
> > Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
> >
> > The reform aims to tweak the current legislation by making collecting
> > societies more transparent and ensuring cross-border compatibility of
> > licenses on the internal market, especially when it comes to online use
> of
> > works.
> >
> >
> >
> > *Why should we care?*
> >
> > The directive intends, although vaguely, to introduce non-commercial uses
> > (read: Creative Commons licenses) as an option for creators in the
> > collective management system.
> >
> > As the Commission proposal is anything but clear on this, there is
> > currently a push and pull within the Parliament as to how far this should
> > go. Industry proponents argue for a “minimum harmonisation approach”,
> which
> > means that no exact measures will be specified. At the same time, the
> > Parliament’s Culture Committee says that authors should be given the
> right
> > to remove some of their works from the collective management system and
> > publish them under a free license. Currently collecting societies in the
> EU
> > don’t allow their clients to make parts of their work generally available
> > (e.g. One song of an album to be released under a CC license). In
> Germany,
> > there is simultaneously a strong effort to build up a non-exclusive
> > collecting society.[2]
> >
> >
> >
> > *Game plan?*
> >
> > The first reading in the Parliament is forecasted for the 19.11.2013. The
> > four non-leading committees have already published their draft opinions.
> > Until then the lead committee (Legal Affairs - Rapporteur Marielle Gallo,
> > EPP) will publish its report and amendment proposals can still be tabled.
> > There is also a mandatory consultation with the Economic and Social
> > Committee.
> >
> >
> >
> > -
> >
> > -
> >
> > *#IPRTTIP*
>

[Wikimedia-l] Hacking Brussels: 1st EU Policy Monitoring Report (May)

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

 Hello, everybody!

Sorry for crossposting if you are on advocacy-advisors (if you aren't, join
the party!), but we'd like to encourage comments or questions on this on a
wider scale, so I believe it makes good sense if we also post it here the
first few times.

Dimi

The portal for this group is: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EU_Policy

*
*

*tl;dr*

The first monitoring report on EU Policy strives to give a brief overview
over current legislative debates in Brussels that might be of interest to
the Wikimedia movement. We have five topics:



1. Collective Rights Management and Online Use

2. EU-US Trade Agreement

3. Stakeholder Dialogue on Copyright

4. EU Data Protection

5. Network Neutrality



*#CRM*

*Collective Rights Management and Online Use of Music Works *



*What’s going on?*

The European Commission’s directive proposal *on collective management of
copyright and related rights and multi-territorial licensing of rights in
musical works for online uses in the internal market *[1]* *has entered the
next stage of the legislative process by being submitted to the European
Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

The reform aims to tweak the current legislation by making collecting
societies more transparent and ensuring cross-border compatibility of
licenses on the internal market, especially when it comes to online use of
works.



*Why should we care?*

The directive intends, although vaguely, to introduce non-commercial uses
(read: Creative Commons licenses) as an option for creators in the
collective management system.

As the Commission proposal is anything but clear on this, there is
currently a push and pull within the Parliament as to how far this should
go. Industry proponents argue for a “minimum harmonisation approach”, which
means that no exact measures will be specified. At the same time, the
Parliament’s Culture Committee says that authors should be given the right
to remove some of their works from the collective management system and
publish them under a free license. Currently collecting societies in the EU
don’t allow their clients to make parts of their work generally available
(e.g. One song of an album to be released under a CC license). In Germany,
there is simultaneously a strong effort to build up a non-exclusive
collecting society.[2]



*Game plan?*

The first reading in the Parliament is forecasted for the 19.11.2013. The
four non-leading committees have already published their draft opinions.
Until then the lead committee (Legal Affairs - Rapporteur Marielle Gallo,
EPP) will publish its report and amendment proposals can still be tabled.
There is also a mandatory consultation with the Economic and Social
Committee.



-

-

*#IPRTTIP*

*Intellectual Property Regulation in EU-US Trade Agreement*



*What’s going on?*

Both the EU and the US have expressed their intent to include an IPR
chapter in TTIP, though its final scope will be subject of negotiations.



*Why should we care?*

Remember ACTA? We cannot be generally for or against this motion yet, since
the content is not even discussed yet. We do however, as many other
stakeholders, have an interest that the negotiations are public and
transparent so that “surprise packages” (such as a more rigorous liability
regime for providers) can be avoided.



*Game plan?*

Some MEPs are currently organising dialogues and meetings to hear about the
fears and hopes of the stakeholders. Generally speaking, an involvement of
the Parliament in the negotiations would make the process more predictable.
Currently a group of digital rights organisations are trying to motivate DG
Trade to release the texts, an effort not met warmly within the Commission
(and the Parliament Committee on Trade for that matter). A vote on this
treaty could happen well before the EP elections in 2014.



-

-

*#Licenses4Europe*

*Stakeholder Dialogue on Copyright Reform*



*What’s going on?*

The European Commission has launched a stakeholder dialogue in four working
groups with the intention to discuss current licensing issues and come up
with a reform proposal.



*Why should we care?*

   - Although this does not seem to be turning out as the major copyright
   reform originally claimed, its general intention to address “user-generated
   content” should make us alert and calls for keeping an eye on the whole
   process.
   - After some early signals from the Commission that new Fair Use
   exceptions be introduced, there has been silence on this issue as none of
   the current participants want or can bring it up.
   - Another possibility is that cross-border compatibility of licenses is
   addressed, which could improve or worsen some of the issues with our
   content across Europe.
   - Simultaneously there might be a move towards stronger copyright
   enforcement and more restrictive use of content online



*Game plan?*

The working groups will conduct regular meeting un

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Wikipedia Zero wins!

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

That is so cool! Congratulations!
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] WikiVoyage Association as a thematic organization

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hmmm, chapters have membership fees and they are affiliated and receive
movement money. I don't see why thematic organisations should be treated
differently.

Dimi

2013/3/10 rupert THURNER 

> hi,
>
> not sure where to put this on the talk page, but i'd really like, if
> they want to become affiliated and want to receive movement money,
> that they drop their 25/12 eur membership fee per year which blocks
> most people now to become member.
>
> rupert.
>
>
> On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 7:18 PM, Bence Damokos  wrote:
> > Dear all,
> >
> > I wanted to update you on behalf of the Affiliations Committee that we
> are
> > now considering the application of a proposed thematic organisation to
> > support WikiVoyage, the WikiVoyage Association, the erstwhile stewards of
> > the project.
> >
> > You can see the proposal at:
> > http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikivoyage_Association
> >
> > We would like to invite you to participate in the discussions, express
> your
> > interest to join the organisation and inform your home communities about
> > this proposal. In particular, we would like to encourage people from
> around
> > the world to apply for membership to represent the diversity of the
> > Wikivoyagers.
> >
> > We will be monitoring the talk page at
> > http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikivoyage_Association to see if
> there
> > is any new information that might influence the recognition process.
> > If you have any related information you would like to share with the
> > committee privately, please write to .
> >
> > 
> > A bit of background:
> > Wikimedia thematic organisations are a new type of movement organisation,
> > that are similar to chapters in supporting the Wikimedia mission through
> > their activities in the real world, but instead of focusing on a given
> > country, they focus on a given topic or theme.
> > For more information please see:
> > http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Thematic_Organizations.
> >
> > Usually we send out announcements of new thematic organisation
> applications
> > roughly in the middle of the recognition process to allow the wider
> > community to express any concerns they might have and to be able to join
> > the organisation when it is founded. This is done in the hope that it
> will
> > help new organisations reach critical mass earlier and that the wider
> > community is informed about emerging entities in the movement.
> >
> > Next steps in the process include the review of the organization's
> bylaws,
> > and the finalization of the standard thematic organization agreement,
> > before AffCom will be able to make a recommendation to the Board of
> > Trustees to recognize the thematic organization.
> >
> > Best regards,
> > Bence
> > (Chair, Affiliations Committee)
> > ___
> > Wikimedia-l mailing list
> > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Big Fat Brussels Gathering

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hi Mathieu,

Unfortunately even hostels are rather pricey in Brussels. I'd say the
prices start at about 25 Euro per night in a shared dorm. On a positive
note the local CouchSurfing community is really active, if you are into
that. I am myself a couchsurfer and probably could host somebody for a few
nights. How's that for a scholarship plan :) ? I would have to consult my
household first.

Dimi


2013/3/8 Mathieu Stumpf 

> Le jeudi 07 mars 2013 à 13:42 +0100, Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov a écrit :
> > Salut la liste!
> >
> > After booking the meeting room we have set up a page on meta intended to
> > inform everyone about the event. I tried to gather all the information I
> > deemed important, but please keep in mind that especially the meeting
> > schedule is prone to changes.
> >
> > http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EU_Policy/Big_Fat_Brussels_Meeting
> >
> > As with every wiki: feel free to share/change/complain etc. :)
> >
> > About the hostels. If several people decide to stay together I'd be more
> > than happy to assist with booking a group room on location here. Just let
> > me know. I will also try to send out some extra information to the
> > participants as we get closer to the event, so you guys can have
> everything
> > at hand.
>
> Would you have informations on average price for a night ?
>
> kind regards,
> mathieu
>
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Big Fat Brussels Gathering

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hi Lodewijk,

I cannot answer the travel aid quesiton as there is no dedicated, central
budget for this meeting. It's just volunteers and chapters deciding to join
in, help or carry some of the cost.

About signing up - I simply didn't think of it, as I know how to contact
everyone who put their name on the Doodle, so I was just going to contact
them directly. Anyway, now I have added a participants paragraph on the
meta page where people can put add their name.

Dimi
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Big Fat Brussels Gathering

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Salut la liste!

After booking the meeting room we have set up a page on meta intended to
inform everyone about the event. I tried to gather all the information I
deemed important, but please keep in mind that especially the meeting
schedule is prone to changes.

http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EU_Policy/Big_Fat_Brussels_Meeting

As with every wiki: feel free to share/change/complain etc. :)

About the hostels. If several people decide to stay together I'd be more
than happy to assist with booking a group room on location here. Just let
me know. I will also try to send out some extra information to the
participants as we get closer to the event, so you guys can have everything
at hand.

Can't wait to meet!

Dimi

P.S. I know the EU Policy portal on Meta is not well structured, but I
decided to wait until after the meeting before I do any major improvements,
since plans may change.
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Big Fat Brussels Gathering

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hey Christophe,

Since I am on location I am co-organising the meeting. We can't really book
the acoomodation for everyone, but I will make sure to include this tip in
meeting info page on meta I am preparing. Hopefully by the end of the week
I will be able to confirm everything (incl. meeting room) and let all the
interested participants know more about the details.

This said, if anyone needs any Brussels-specific help or informaiton just
let me know. I am happy to assist.

Dimi

2013/3/6 Christophe Henner 

> Hey,
>
> I don't know who's organizing, but for the last meeting (in 2009) we
> had it in this hostel http://www.lesaubergesdejeunesse.be/ it was
> really really nice. Though it was almost fully booked and we all slept
> in different hostel/hotels.
>
> Just to help the people organizing with a good tip :)
>
> Best,
> --
> Christophe
>
>
> On 6 March 2013 15:10, Nicole Ebber  wrote:
> > And please allow me to add that there are "only" chapter
> > representatives in Milan, but this project is also open to non-chapter
> > community members. On top of that, you don't know whether the
> > representatives a chapter sends are the ones who are interested
> > in/working on those policy issues.
> >
> > Best,
> > Nicole
> >
> > On 6 March 2013 14:48, Jan Engelmann  wrote:
> >> Hi Balázs,
> >>
> >> of course I am aware of the chapter conference. But first, there will
> be no
> >> volunteers. Second, there won't be enough time. Third, we want to
> integrate
> >> a short input from a Brussels-based NGO to learn something about "things
> >> really work". And apart from that, we searched for a very really central
> >> city in Europe, which is in fact - Brussels.
> >>
> >> Best, Jan
> >>
> >> 2013/3/6 Balázs Viczián 
> >>
> >>> Errr...the chapters conference in Milan will be two weeks later, why
> don't
> >>> you integrate this into the schedule of that instead?
> >>>
> >>> Balazs
> >>>
> >>> 2013/3/6 Jan Engelmann 
> >>>
> >>> > Hi all,
> >>> >
> >>> > a clear majority voted for the 6th/7th of april as the most suitable
> >>> > date for the meeting. We are happy to make the arrangements! During
> >>> > the next days, we will provide you with all necessary information
> >>> > about the location in Brussels and the scheduling. We will also pass
> >>> > around a draft agenda on Meta to make sure that everybody can add
> >>> > certain points of interest or comments in advance.
> >>> >
> >>> > Please spread the Doodle-link just to make sure that even more people
> >>> > who are interested in the EU policy stuff will follow:
> >>> >
> >>> > http://doodle.com/ntiz6gup7z49e7p5
> >>> >
> >>> > Best wishes,
> >>> >
> >>> > Jan
> >>> >
> >>> > --
> >>> > Jan Engelmann
> >>> > Leiter Politik & Gesellschaft
> >>> > -
> >>> > Wikimedia Deutschland e.V.
> >>> > Obentrautstr. 72
> >>> > 10963 Berlin
> >>> >
> >>> > Telefon 030 - 219 158 26-0
> >>> > www.wikimedia.de
> >>> >
> >>> > Stellen Sie sich eine Welt vor, in der jeder Mensch an der Menge
> allen
> >>> > Wissens frei teilhaben kann. Helfen Sie uns dabei!
> >>> > http://spenden.wikimedia.de/
> >>> >
> >>> >  Helfen Sie mit, dass WIKIPEDIA von der UNESCO als erstes
> >>> > digitales Weltkulturerbe anerkannt wird. Unterzeichnen Sie die
> >>> > Online-Petition! http://wikipedia.de 
> >>> >
> >>> > Wikimedia Deutschland - Gesellschaft zur Förderung Freien Wissens e.
> V.
> >>> > Eingetragen im Vereinsregister des Amtsgerichts Berlin-Charlottenburg
> >>> > unter der Nummer 23855 Nz. Als gemeinnützig anerkannt durch das
> >>> > Finanzamt für Körperschaften I Berlin, Steuernummer 27/681/51985.
> >>> >
> >>> > ___
> >>> > Wikimedia-l mailing list
> >>> > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> >>> > Unsubscribe:
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
> >>> >
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> *Balazs Viczian*
> >>> Executive Vice President
> >>> *Wikimédia Magyarország*
> >>>
> >>> Tel: +36 70 633 6372
> >>> Mail: balazs.vicz...@wikimedia.hu
> >>> Web: www.wikimedia.hu  Blog: Magyar Wikipédia Magazin<
> >>> http://huwiki.blogspot.hu>
> >>> Facebook: Magyar Wikipédia 
> >>> ___
> >>> Wikimedia-l mailing list
> >>> Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> >>> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Jan Engelmann
> >> Leiter Politik & Gesellschaft
> >> -
> >> Wikimedia Deutschland e.V.
> >> Obentrautstr. 72
> >> 10963 Berlin
> >>
> >> Telefon 030 - 219 158 26-0
> >> www.wikimedia.de
> >>
> >> Stellen Sie sich eine Welt vor, in der jeder Mensch an der Menge allen
> >> Wissens frei teilhaben kann. Helfen Sie uns dabei!
> >> http://spenden.wikimedia.de/
> >>
> >>  Helfen Sie mit, dass WIKIPEDIA von der UNESCO als erstes digitales
> >> Weltkulturerbe anerkannt wird. Unterzeichnen Sie die Online-Petition!
> >> http

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Big Fat Brussels Gathering

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hi again,

if there ever will be a WCA or something like that, then this will be a
> task for them imo. For the time being, "mapping" could be done by the
> future Belgian chapter or by some interested local volunteers.
>

I strongly disagree. As a local volunteer doing monitoring and as someone
who is currently very actively involved in the founding of Wikimedia
Belgium.

There are two reasons for that:

1. We're not talking about Belgian legislation or the Belgian
government/parliament here. We're talking about the EU institutions. And if
you want them to listen to you, you need to represent an European
community. Otherwise the French will talk to the French government, the
Germans to the German and the Bulgarians to the Bulgarian. This is by far
not the best way to proceed and is why this initiative is very necessary.

2. Even if we'd decide that WMBE should lead this initiative (and that is
in fact a discussed option), in Belgium we're at best at least a year away
from having that kind of infrastructure. We're still to subit our statutes
to the AffCom. At the same time I just had it confirmed from a Commissoin
employee tonight that they plan to table the new copyright legislation
proposal at the beginning of next year the latest.

As a local volunteer who is doing monitoring my opinion is that there is
dire need an international group of wikimedians to rely on support. I
oftentimes feel overwhealmed.

Cheers,
Dimi
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Re: [Wikimedia-l] Big Fat Brussels Gathering

[Dimitar Parvanov Dimitrov]

Hi all,

I guess the non-partisan part is not even a quesiton, but rather a
precondition. The question is how to balance it on a case-to-case basis.
For now I have just included the wording "*commitment to* *political
neutrality except regarding the most serious things that directly impact
our work." *in the Meta project pages. I believe that phrasing is a good
starting point for our discussions.

On the monitoring side the justification is easier. Collecting, publishing
and summarising legislative proposals/ammendments/reports/positions is
nothing that is not in line with gathering "the sum of all human knowledge".

Dimi
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