[thelist] [OT] cfdecrypt, was: (Gift Culture)

the head lemur headlemur at clearskymail.com
Mon Aug 20 12:32:52 CDT 2001


> I've never understood how EULA's were allowed to get to the point that
they > are at.

1. Stone Cold I n d i f f e r e n c e.
We don't care. Really, we don't.
In our belief that the internet will free us, make the world safe for
kittens, butterflies and rainbows, and put a chicken in every pot, we
consistently ignore the creation, control and direction of the Internet.

One of the largest areas of Ignorance by pixel mechanics is the Political
Structure in every country on the planet and how lawmakers can ruin your
day.

While you were learning HTML, CSS, and publishing websites, Lawmakers were
not being watched at all, and they were busy.

I will briefly point some of the laws that have been passed in the United
States and are pushing pixel mechanics off the web, restricting freedom of
speech and making lawyers the most important folks you know.

I'v got your EULA right here..

Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act
http://www.cpsr.org/program/UCITA/ucita-fact.html


Software and Information Industry Association thinks this is a good Idea.
Summary of Benefits:
Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act
http://www.siia.net/sharedcontent/govt/issues/ucita/summary.html

The stated goals of UCITA was to create a unified set of shrinkwrap and
clickwrap licences for software. A noble Idea, but following the links will
show you that this is about protectionism and not fairness.

UCITA is as bad a law as they come. It gives all the power to the software
maker and gives you no legal recourse.

The good news is that UCITA has only been ratified in three states and they
are looking at it right now.

Child Online Protection Act.
http://www.copacommission.org/report/

COPA was made into law to protect children from obscene and pornographic
content as well as bad language and violence. It requires Public Libraries
that get Federal Money to install filtering software on public internet
terminals. This turns librarians into baby sitters and subjects them to
penalties for not complying. This is currently in Federal court as it
infringes on the First Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech.

An interesting note is the adult industry was the first to voluntarily adopt
a rating system. Only a small part of this was noble, the majority is that
kids don't have credit cards.

ICANN and UDRP
Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy
http://www.icann.org/udrp/udrp-rules-24oct99.htm
The UDRP is the process to streamline the process of domain dispute
resolution. Originally created to stop cybersquatters, it also has turned
into a bonanza for corporate interests to remove domains from you to them.

This page lists the cases for one Arbiter, There are 4
DISPUTE RESOLUTION FOR INTERNET DOMAIN NAMES
CASES AND PUBLISHED DECISIONS

http://www.cpradr.org/ICANN_Cases.htm

Reading the cases may allow you to connect the dots on who is being served.

Last and Worst

The Digital Millenium Copyright Act.
http://www.eff.org/IP/DMCA/

This was supposed to inprove the rights of copyright holders, but instead
has become a large stick swung by recording and media companies to shut down
alternative methods of publication on the Internet.
Napster was prosecuted by this.
Dmitry Sklyarov is currently in jail under this for discussing the Adobe
e-Book encription weakness.
http://www.freeskylarov.org/

Princeton University Professor Edward Felten was threatened with a lawsuit
for breaking the RIAA copy-protection scheme. He is suing the RIAA.
http://www.eff.org/IP/DMCA/Felten_v_RIAA/

These are happening right now. Laws are being considered in other countries
as well.

Understanding the power that individuals have when they band together is the
most misunderstood and under-utilized channel for social change you have.

Some notable events that have taken place were the etoy vs etoys saga, the
'hands off my .org' campaign, the Adobe Boycott, The World Trade
Organization websites and real world demonstrations.

This thread started about rights. It is still about rights, theirs yours and
those who follow if there is an Internet to play on tomorrow.

We demonstrate every day our commitment to our fellow listmembers with every
email we write and the solutions we provide.

We are only an island connected to a world that has an agenda we are
ignorant of, don't care about, or think it won't happen here.

The freedom we currently enjoy is in real danger of being curtailed and
extinguished. If we are going to continue to expand the range of experience
on the internet, we need to shoulder the responsibility to get involved on
local, regional and international level.

If you are going to write your representitives, use paper.
E-mail Overload in Congress
http://www.congressonlineproject.org/email.html

the head lemur
Web Standards
http://www.webstandards.org
Evolt
http://www.evolt.org
lemurzone
http://www.lemurzone.com



















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