[pd-discuss] Contact between Wikimedia Foundation and Wellcome Trust regarding image collections?

Sun Jan 16 17:20:33 UTC 2011

On Sun, 16 Jan 2011, Mathias Schindler wrote:

> Greetings,
>
> since I am not a member of the pd dicuss list, my emails do not seem
> to reach the mailing list.
>
> On Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 11:27 PM, Michael S. Hart <hart at pglaf.org> wrote:
>
> > I just think that materials released for "all but commercial
> > applications" should be included in any public domain online
> > site. . .with the appropriate identification as such. . . .
>
> Something can either be in the public domain or under usage
> restrictions. These are mutually exclusive.

We used to call things in certain areas like that "Copyleft."

> To avoid going back and forth, could you please provide an example of
> a text that is at Project Gutenberg and in your opinion both in the
> public domain *and* copyrighted?

You are taking something very simple and trying to making it not so,
which has been my point all along.

If you are running a non-profit operation, as it sounds this one is,
and I asked back at the beginning of this, then there is no reason a
vast number of "OK for general uses other than commercial" items are
available for inclusion.

If you don't include them, it's your own fault, not the fault of the
people who create them and make them available to the general public
and you should stand up and take complete responsibility for choices
of this nature, without any pretense.

The Project Gutenberg collection is copied and reposted all the time
all over the world, even though it contains copyrighted materials.

The collection being considered here could be the same way.

SHOULD be the same way if you are trying to bring the most materials
to the most people.

Why rule out all of those works on which people claim copyright, and
are also willing to have shared by billions of people worldwide on a
non-commercial basis???

I can't think of a good reason.

That's why I've been asking.

However, some seem to be adamant about keeping all of such materials
out of the proposed distribution channels.

Why?

Michael S. Hart
Founder
Project Gutenberg,
Inventor of eBooks