From: Jim choate <ravage@wixer.bga.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 94 09:11:06 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Archiving on Inet
Message-ID: <9402021708.AA09079@wixer>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


I would like to ask all subscribers who are not addressing the issues of this
question to please move their responces to private mail. I have no interest
in exploring your personalities or views of others personalities.

If a global network is to survive there must be a commen understanding of
what is public domain and what is private or commercial. At the present time
this is completely new ground. The fact is that the copyright laws of the US
are of little interest to a net user in Moscow, Russia or Pretoria, S. Africa.

If as a cpunk you don't feel that a anonymous regulatory agency can protect
your privacy why do you feel they can protect your intellectual property? The
issue has direct bearing on both intellectual property and the wide spread
use of cryptographic techniques. As a active cpunk it seems to me that your
first motivation after producing the actual code is to creat a atmosphere
where it can be used for the betterment of all. To create a useable global
community (what I am striving for) it seems to me that entries on that
network must be public domain by default. Otherwise every country who joins,
and by reduction every potential user, will have to agree on how to
recompense each and every user who desires to be paid for their submissions.
This, to me, leads incontrovertibly to the conclusion of a beurocratic
nightmare that will not significanly assist anyone other than the regulatory
agencies. The only other answer that seems even close to working (and I
consider this a stretch of the imagination) is one where everyone is given
access for free and the governments regulate the traffic completely and pat
for it with tax dollars.

As to the issue as it applies to community bbs'es. I run such a system and am
in the process of getting it on the net. As part of this project I have 2
other systems that I will be providing feeds for. These systems are all run
by individuals who have these boxes sitting in their den. By insisting on a
priori copyright of all material it is my opinion that you are creating a
situation which will prevent the growth of such systems. Now if we don't have
regulatory agencies and the sites are indipendant (and I assume self
supporting) how can we expect some Joe or Jill to put up a system to help the
people in their neighborhood if they have to keep looking over thier
shoulders for the copyright police? The answer is they won't put up such
systems and we all loose.

By providing strong crypto tools for business and individuals to protect
their intellectual and commercial property we are creating an open door
atmosphere which motivates people to join the network for their own enjoyment
and edification. This to me is more important than keeping the present view
(as applied to non-networked environments) of copyright. It is time that we
as uses of Internet set a precedence before the legislators set one for us
that will in the long run only assist those already in power by strangthening
the need for regulatory agencies.

I strongly suggest that you all consider this idea from the global and long
term view. I think you will find that the view "information wants to be free'
is the way to go.

To this end I propose that organizations such as EFF and cpunks take the
position of a priori public domain status of network submissions. Also that
all individuals who wish to retain intellectual or commercial rights either
use strong crypto w/ e-mail distribution of keys or a change be implimented
in message headers such that sites who don't wish to carry such material can
filter it, along with this should be a requirement that any such non-
crptographicly secure material must contain a fair use policy at the
beginning of each and every document.

It is time we quite letting big brother tell us what we can do with our ideas
and how to distribute them.