On 9/27/07, George Herbert <george.herbert(a)gmail.com> wrote:
On 9/27/07, geni <geniice(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
We do not tolerate unfree text to any significant
extent. We do
tolerate a level of unfree media. Thus we put free media behind other
content.
This is simply not true; we have significant (important informational
content, useful) quotations from other works sprinkled liberally
throughout the Encyclopedia.
And this is a good thing.
And this is entirely and unquestionably (by any reasonable person)
legal under fair use.
Indeed, the whole reason fair use (or for example, in my jurisdiction
fair dealing) exists is because governments recognise we cannot do
things like write encyclopaedias or newspapers without invoking the
principle of fair use.
That's probably worth repeating.
We cannot hope to write an encyclopaedia without invoking the
principles of fair use, or fair dealings. Doesn't mean we need to
invoke it to the maximum extent provided for by law, but without any
at all, we cannot hope to write an encyclopaedia.
Amen. Unlike some others, what concerns me is that we are using unfree
content unnecessarily, in uses suitable for free use but not unfree use.
There are legal circumstances where we could theoretically decorate, say,
[[List of Lost episodes]] with unfree content. That doesn't mean we should
be doing that.
Johnleemk