[Foundation-l] Offering Wikibooks content for sale

[Robert Scott Horning]

This is an idea that has been kicked around, and I want to congratulate 
one of the Wikibooks contributors by being bold and actually getting a 
print version of Wikibooks content available for purchase from an 
"on-line" store.  It can be found right now at:

http://www.lulu.com/content/346504

While I admire the effort that this user has put forth to get this put 
together, I am concerned that it might affect the tax-exempt status, 
especially as this link is found on a Wikimedia website and openly 
"advertising" that this content is available for sale.  Please see this 
page for an example:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikijunior

This is some outstanding content that has been fermenting on Wikibooks 
now for over a year and a half, and is really the first fruits of the 
Wikijunior sub-project on Wikibooks.  This user is also not trying to 
make any profit from the sale of this, and is really doing this just as 
a public service and going through Lulu Press simply because they are 
available.

I am posting this to the wider Wikimedia Foundation List because I think 
some guidelines should be developed regarding "official" links on 
project pages for commercial content of this nature, and to what extent 
the use of the name "Wikimedia Foundation" can be on such content.  I'm 
also hoping that the legal list will get wind of this and offer a little 
bit of input as well in terms of how far can we go before we start to 
tread on the non-profit status of the WMF.

Frankly, I'd like to encourage efforts like this, as it really can be 
beneficial to spread Wikimedia content beyond the close circle of 
internet users we currently have.  Wikibooks in particular is moving 
strongly in this direction, as we already have a couple dozen PDF files 
for Wikibooks that are nearing at least major proofreading stages rather 
than content building.  It seems logical that an on-line bookstore is 
going to happen in one form or another with this content, and many other 
users are going to be doing this.  Links of this nature should remain 
relatively low-key and non-intrusive if you are trying to actually read 
the content

The question I pose then is should we push the genie back into the 
bottle and stop this kind of linking, or should we as a community 
encourage further commercial publication?

Should we allow commercial publication, but not allow links on project 
pages to commercial resources of this nature?  Be real careful here, as 
it does have implications for other Wikimedia projects as well, 
including Wikipedia "1.0" suggestions.  The GFDL does allow commercial 
publication, so the real point is if project pages can be used as links.

Should there be some sort of formal organization, even if just on a 
local project level, that should control the content that is published 
in this manner?  Or should it just be done on an ad-hoc basis as 
individual users feel motivated?  This is mainly to see how commercial 
links are used on Wikimedia project pages, not that any other person can 
set up their own website and advertise they have published Wikimedia 
content but not have links on project pages.  A more formal organization 
can help do things like coordinate ISBN numbers and make sure that 
profits can be plowed back into the project.

 From my understanding of non-profit laws in the USA (IANAL), as long as 
we can show a need for the money that is legitimate (staff salaries, 
equipment costs, reasonable travel expenses, etc.) fundraisers of this 
nature aren't really too much of a problem.  Indeed several non-profit 
groups have on-line bookstores just for this purpose.  Assuming a 
runaway success with this sort of sale of content, we would have to do 
direct fundraisers less often.  I don't think too many people on this 
list would complain about that.  The only real problem might be apparent 
endorsement of a commercial enterprise.

There is a control issue here that does need to be resolved, and that 
would be how much control does the WMF want to have directly over this 
kind of activity as well?  That would also involve the use of Wikimedia 
trademarks (aka Wikijunior) and logos.

-- 
Robert Scott Horning