This is interesting when British governmental information may become
more public. While I support pursuing with the UK government, I also
consider it needed to pursue with the USA government to accept the
rule of the shorter term.
Please see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Public_domain#The_rule_of_the_shorte…
and you will find that without honoring the rule of the shorter term
of the Berne Convention in the US Copyright Law, certain works may be
in the public domain in their home countries, but still considered
legally copyrighted in the USA. This is harming the Wiki projects
unless the server can ever be moved to a jurisdiction honoring the
rule of the shorter term like Macao, but the Foundation has no such a
plan.
How about using
http://www.petitiononline.com/ to pursue reclaiming
the public domain? I would like to strongly encourage everyone to sign
the following petitions involving copyright and public domain:
http://www.petitiononline.com/eldred/petition.html Reclaim the Public Domain
http://www.petitiononline.com/mrap/petition.html M.R.A. Platform
http://www.petitiononline.com/ukpod001/petition.html Podcasters'
Rights and the WIPO Broadcast Treaty
http://www.petitiononline.com/oldgame/petition.html Abandonware
Jusjih, an admin at Commons, Wikisource, Wiktionary, and Wikipedia
uncomfortable with excessive copyright blocking orphaned works
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Neil Harris <usenet(a)tonal.clara.co.uk>
Date: Jan 12, 2007 6:49 PM
Subject: [Foundation-l] UK government information changes on the way?
To: English Wikipedia <wikien-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>rg>, Wikimedia
Foundation Mailing List <foundation-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
The BBC is carrying an interesting story on possible changes in the
attitude of the UK government to the free use of government information.
At the moment, the Statute Law Database is Crown Copyright, as is nearly
all UK government information, with a commercial licence needed for any
use other than private study or non-commercial research.
According to the BBC, this may be about to change, and the changes may
be part of a wider change in attitude to the free reuse of government data.
Is this something that the Foundation or other interested Wikipedians
might be interested in pursuing with the UK government?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6255321.stm
-- Neil