[okfn-discuss] video metadata and open license stance

Fri Oct 20 07:51:28 UTC 2006

hi Benjamin, Rufus, all

Firstly, Jo - thanks for blogging that. You made me realise that I
really ought to blog on okfn too. I'll try to do so in the future :)

On Wed, Oct 18, 2006 at 10:27:03AM -0400, Benj. Mako Hill wrote:
> > In this case I think we should separate:
> > 
> > a) having a license field
> > b) having a license field which defaults to something other than full 
> > 'all rights reserved' copyright
> 
> The only people who can give away authors' exclusive rights are the
> authors' themselves. Designing software so that it defaults to giving
> away people's exclusive rights risks being selectively non-binding at
> best and actionable at worst. My sense is that software designers
> can't safely default to anything other than the status quo.

I understand your trepidation at thrusting a powerful tool (like
copyleft metadata) into the hands of any old shmo who blunders into your
software... it could systematically muddy the waters, but we're talking
about a quite specific community of interest with the transmission
network - and why shouldn't they develop tools that 'strongly
encourage' or educate their already-ideologically convinced users to
use copyleft devices. 

Software publishes foist all kinds of ridiculous agreements on their
users, many of which put them into untenable and unenforceable
positions, and nearly everyone just clicks 'OK'. I don't think
commercial vendors respect the status quo in this context, or what would
be the need for all that legalese gibberish? 

In other news, I've joined the 'aggregator' working group of the
transmission network - in fact, I'm meant to be co-ordinating that bit.
The aim, I believe, is to research and test-implement video aggregators
with a view to then developing one (something like videobomb.com) for
the transmission network.. although that development will be done by a
different group. If anyone has any experience, or knows people who are
involved in setting up this kind of thing (I've played with a few), I'd
be grateful for pointers - or joiners. :)

Bests,

Saul.

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