On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 1:39 PM, Stephen LaPorte <slaporte(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:
James S.,
It is certainly a possibility--the criteria for are available here:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal_and_Community_Advocacy/Foundation_Poliā¦
Stephen,
That says, "Policy and political issues include public support for or
against proposed laws and executive actions, online backing for
political initiatives, and partnerships with organizations to promote
shared policy and political positions.... [examples include]
Collaborative Advocacy / We collaborate with another organization to
take action on a particular policy or political question."
Am I correct in saying that there have not been any such actions since
that Foundation Policy was approved?
I propose that the Foundation survey the community asking about how
often they expect such actions to take place. I am sure there will be
a wide range of opinion. Some such as myself would support formal
proposal and consideration rather frequently, and plenty of people
think that they should never occur.
Will you perform such a survey?
Sincerely,
James Salsman
However, I hope this list can also serve a more
general purpose, as a venue
to share and discuss the legal and policy questions that are relevant to our
mission. Personally, I find it useful to hear about issues that are
important to Wikimedians around the world. Wikimedians have a lot of
expertise and knowledge on issues like copyright, and this list is open so
that can be shared.
Ideally, if/when the WMF or any community member needs to consult on a
potential advocacy proposal, this list will already discussing the topic and
can provide useful feedback.
Best,
Stephen
On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 7:44 PM, James Alexander <jalexander(a)wikimedia.org>
wrote:
James,
As a community member I think the SOPA discussion and more global
discussions after that made it quite clear that actions should be incredibly
rare and that, generally, it's better for them to come from the community
rather then from suggestions that the Foundation makes. I'm sure that the
legal staff will make suggestions that they think need to be made but they
should do so incredibly judiciously, community members on this list should
not feel themselves so restrained.
My general understanding of this list from the start was as more of a
space for community members (including at times staff members, but in their
role as community members) to discuss and isolate ideas that rang true and
needed more input or action from the community. If none of them are
emerging, it's a clear sign that the community isn't comfortable creating an
action out of them.
James
James Alexander
Wikimedia Foundation
(415) 839-6885 x6716 @jamesofur
On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 11:09 AM, James Salsman <jsalsman(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
Stephen,
Does the Foundation intend to ever propose any actions in the interest
of the projects or their editors for community approval?
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Stephen LaPorte
Legal Counsel
Wikimedia Foundation
For legal reasons, I may only serve as an attorney for the Wikimedia
Foundation. This means I may not give legal advice to or serve as a lawyer
for community members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal
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