Ray Saintonge wrote:
That, and to what extent do we want to monitor a wide range of laws in many countries. It's just not practical. Consideration of the host country's laws and major international treaties makes sense, but if a downstream user is going to republish material he must accept some responsibility for his actions.
Generally, I agree, we can't monitor and judge every single law in every single jurisdiction. But we can pick and choose, and do our best.
But Britain and the other developed countries are not where the distribution would be most useful.
I'm not so sure about that. Distribution in developed countries is important, because as we maximize our audience in those countries, we gain access to the hearts and minds of people who can fund our distribution in developing countries.
Imagine a free Wikipedia dvd mailed to millions of households in the UK, along with a letter from me explaining who we are and what we are doing, and asking for money to distribute our work in Africa. If we found a way to do that cheaply enough (for example, by working with popular magazines), the results would likely be amazing.
With the British laws under discussion, more than one interpretation is possible. How do we determine which of two conflicting interpretations is the right one?
Well, the fact that interpretation may be difficult surely doesn't mean that we can just throw up our hands and ignore the issue. We have to do _something_, so we should consult with people who are likely to know, and just do our best.
--Jimbo