[WikiEN-l] Fair use redux; the second coming of hell; Are we a free content or aren't we?

[John Lee]

On 7/20/07, Bryan Derksen <bryan.derksen at shaw.ca> wrote:
>
> WikipediaEditor Durin wrote:
> > en.wikipedia is utterly failing at executing the Foundation's mission,
> and
> > it is THE flagship project.
>
> This is unwarranted hyperbole. If we're utterly failing, why is
> Wikipedia a top-10 website that's rapidly gaining cachet as the first
> place to look for general information, why is Britannica in terror of
> us, and (specifically on the "free" front) why is the Wikipedia database
> being used by literally hundreds of mirrors?


We're succeeding at the "encyclopaedia" part; not so much at the "free"
part. Also, there would be significant legal concerns about hosting the
content, let alone publishing it in hard copy form, anywhere outside the US.

Also, bear in mind that "free" is only one half of our fundamental goal.
> The other half is "encyclopedia". Adding fair use content may restrict
> the "free" half while enhancing the "encyclopedia" half, so it's hardly
> an obvious net loss.