[Foundation-l] WMF/EFF and Copyright extension

[Ray Saintonge]

geni wrote:
> On 20/02/2008, David Gerard <dgerard at gmail.com> wrote:
>   
>> On 20/02/2008, Brian McNeil <brian.mcneil at wikinewsie.org> wrote:
>>
>>  > I think "theft" is too loaded a word.
>>  >  How about "Depriving the public domain of culturally significant material"?
>>
>> "theft of the public domain" is a phrase that ties in with the
>>  campaigns of various digital rights organisations fighting against the
>>  same copyright extension in the EU.
>>     
> The wikimedia foundation is not however a digital rights organization
> and doesn't really have a mandate to be one. The foundation is more in
> the position of an interested party than a campaigning organization.
You're missing the point.  We don't even aspire to be a digital rights 
organization.  It's about the use of language.  If DRO's are going to 
use the word "theft" when referring to the abuse of works owned by one 
of its members, is it not also "theft" when similar rights belonging to 
the public are abused?

Ec