[Advocacy Advisors] Fwd: [Wmfcc-l] Amendments on Free Licenses and Freedom of Panorama Entered into Force in Russia!

Fri Oct 3 08:10:19 UTC 2014

Congrats, Vladimir!

This is exactly the kind of positive and successful examples we love and
need!

A case study that could surely come in handy here.

Thank you for your hard work!

Dimi

2014-10-02 19:56 GMT+02:00 Luis Villa <lvilla at wikimedia.org>:

> Hi, Vladimir-
> This is great news; I hope you don't mind that I've forwarded it to the
> advocacy-advisors mailing list.
>
> We've been trying to put together case studies where Wikimedians have been
> involved in political change, so that we can all learn from each other -
> what works, what doesn't. Perhaps someone on this list or in the Russian
> community would be interested in creating one?
>
> Thanks - and congratulations!
> Luis
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Vladimir Medeyko <medeyko at gmail.com>
> Date: Wed, Oct 1, 2014 at 7:06 PM
> Subject: Amendments on Free Licenses and Freedom of Panorama Entered into
> Force in Russia!
>
> Dear colleagues!
>
>
> *Amendments on Free Licenses and Freedom of Panorama Entered into Force in
> Russia!*
>
> Wikimedia RU congratulates the Russians and all the proponents of the free
> content with changes in the Russian Civil Code, which are very important
> for the use of the free content. Particularly, the amendments are extremely
> important for the Wikipedia internet-enclyclopedia and other projects for
> the creation and the dissemination of educational and scientific
> information; and for the free software. The amendments entered into force
> on October 1st, 2014; Wikimedia RU actively participated in the preparation
> of the amendments.
>
> Among the numerous changes, we should mention:
>
> *Open licenses* introduced. It includes free licenses (which are
> fundamental for the projects like Wikipedia or Linux). The authors of the
> free content get protection from misuse of their works, and the users get
> guarantees that no malevalent authors could harm them.
>
> *Freedom of panorama* introduced: now it is allowed to make photos in any
> public territory. The photographers are no more formally offenders, because
> earlier one was not allowed to sell postcards with modern buildings without
> the permission of the architect or his successors (despite the fact
> wrongdoings of this kind were universal). Unfortunately, monuments are not
> covered by the amendments.
>
> It's allowed to publish and store *thesis synopses* in the electronic
> format.
>
> Libraries are allowed to store in the *electronic format* dilapidated
> works and those scientific and educational works that were not republshed
> for more the 10 years.
>
> «The direct inclusion of the stipulations on the free licenses into the
> law is a progressive step not only for Russia, but worldwide. There are no
> specific articles on the free licenses in the other countries' laws, and
> hence the licenses are still in the grey area there. Actually, the free
> licenses eploit the archaic tercentenary system of the copyright, that
> always protected the authors from the readers, for the opposite goal – to
> protect the readers from the authors. Therefore, without direct regulation,
> there is too vast judicial discretion, and the free licenses users are not
> protected perfectly. In the Russian law there are no uncertainties like
> that anymore. Up to the wording that covers the copyleft clauses as well,
> that poorly fit the traditional laws.» — explained Wikimedia RU director
> Vladimir Medeyko.
>
> Members of Wikimedia RU worked fiddly on these and other amendments in the
> Civil Code. Namely:
>
> In 2009-2010 the numerous letters with the description of the problems and
> possible solutions were sent to special State Duma committees.
>
> In 2010-2011 the members of Wikimedia RU participated at sessions of the
> expert groups of the Committee of culture and the Committee of information
> policy and communications of the State Duma.
>
> In april 2011 during the meeting with then Russian President Dmitry
> Medvedev, the represenative of Wikimedia RU communicated the problems and
> possible solutions to him.
>
> In 2011-201 the experts from Wikimedia RU made part of the working group
> of Minitry of Justice. Годах on the free licenses and related laws, and
> also participated in commissions and other events organized by the Ministry
> of Communications, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of
> Culure, the Ministry of Education and Science, related to these amendments.
>
> In 2012 the representatives of Wikimedia RU participated sessions of the
> State Duma's working group on the intellectual property, attended to the
> parliament hearings; in sessions of the Federation Council's on the
> infromation society proceedings.
>
> In 2010-2014 the members of Wikimedia RU participated more than 200
> conferences, seminars, round tables, where thay explained problems and ways
> to legalize the work.\
>
> Hopefully, the foreign legislators will handle free licenses with the due
> care, and the uncertainty will vanish.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Luis Villa
> Deputy General Counsel
> Wikimedia Foundation
> 415.839.6885 ext. 6810
>
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