[okfn-discuss] Art/Artist/Gallery/Show Datasets

Fri Dec 4 21:23:57 UTC 2009

On Dec 4, 2009, at 2:40 PM, Patrick Anderson wrote:

> Rob Myers wrote:
>> There's the V&A API in the UK, but as ever it's noncommercial -
>>
>> http://collections.vam.ac.uk/information/information_apiterms
>
> Anyone here happen to know if "for commercial purposes" includes
> non-profit corporations?
>
>
> 8<---- OFF TOPIC ----
>
> I wonder why so many licenses disallow commerce.
>
> Maybe part of it is the continued confusion between the FSF's concepts
> of 'commercial' and 'proprietary'.

Or, maybe a misguided presumption that "if it is commercial then it  
must be soul sucking, big corporation, WalmarTescoCarrefoure bad." Or,  
maybe it just sounds fashionable to be non-commercial.  
Commercialization of technologies and ideas is so important because  
that is what makes them come within grasp of common folks by bringing  
their price down.

>
> Another part might be the Copyright holder's (I'm also imagining
> individual artisans who chose CC-NC) somewhat justified but otherwise
> ham-handed attempt to recover some of their operating costs.
>
> Could we (the users) ever learn how to organize and 'host' the basic
> physical needs of people that try to do this good work?
>
> Developers of "Open Knowledge" have basic necessities such as food,
> shelter, simple clothing, etc. that they are unable to meet when they
> receive no compensation for their valuable results.
>

Well, I am blessed with having a job at a large research university  
that pays me to pursue and create new knowledge. It takes care of me.  
It behooves me to give my results away. If someone (including myself)  
is able to commercialize an idea of mine, heck, I will be only too  
honored.

Creative output is a different beast, but scientific knowledge should  
be given away completely freely, without any expectations in return,  
not even of attribution, other than that provided by custom. This I  
believe.

> This causes many of them to lead a double life - where they must care
> of their bodily needs through proprietary means (or in this example -
> where they must disallow commerce) even while trying to lead a life of
> "moral purity" [as Saint IGNUcius would say].
>
> Patrick
>
> s

-- 
Puneet Kishor http://www.punkish.org
Carbon Model http://carbonmodel.org
Charter Member, Open Source Geospatial Foundation http://www.osgeo.org
Science Commons Fellow, http://sciencecommons.org/about/whoweare/kishor
Nelson Institute, UW-Madison http://www.nelson.wisc.edu
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