RE: [d@DCC] FTAA Treaty '"Threatens Freedom and Free Trade" (fwd)

From: "Darryl Moore" <darryl _-at-_ mfe.ca>
To: "'General Discussion'" <discuss (at) digital-copyright.ca>
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 13:15:07 -0500

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-discuss@digital-copyright.ca 
> [mailto:owner-discuss@digital-copyright.ca] On Behalf Of Richard Pitt
> Sent: October 22, 2003 12:48 PM
> To: General Discussion
> Subject: Re: [d@DCC] FTAA Treaty '"Threatens Freedom and Free 
> Trade" (fwd)
> 
> <snip>
> 
> If "publishing" (in the context of when the copyright act 
> takes effect for a work) were to be defined only as that done 
> without any rights management or extra contractual ties, then 
> all works not so published would then become trade secrets 
> (or something to that effect) and would lose (or never gain) 
> the protection of the government via the copyright act and 
> have to go after civil damages for individual transgressors.
> 
> The consequences to the "rights holders" might be 
> interesting. They'd have to do their own enforcing instead of 
> getting the government to help them for one.
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> richard
> 

I think this is a great idea. It would create a real cost for companies
who employ rights management technology, and would demonstrate societies
desire to help and protect creators who in turn value the public domain
by ensuring that their works will someday get there. Like all great
idea's I'm sure it wont go unpunished.

This would have the effect of stripping copyright from all current
software not published complete with source code, as releasing only
compiled code could easily be viewed as a form of rights management. It
would be a boon to the open source movement, but the opposition from the
likes of Microsoft would be fierce.

Regards,
Darryl Moore

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