Re: [libreoffice-website] ACTA banner?

On 01/27/2012 12:00 PM, Charles-H. Schulz wrote:
> Hello there,
>
> Le Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:23:55 -0500,
> webmaster for Kracked Press Productions<webmaster@krackedpress.com>  a
> écrit :
>
> (snipped part of the thread)
>
> > What we need is a good info page stating what ACTA is about - as it
> > effects packages like LO.  I heard of this ACTA only yesterday so we
> > need to have some good info.  Also, I thing we need to include text
> > about what all these proposed [and enacted] laws/regulations are
> > meant to do, but what their impact would be for legal file transfer
> > sites and open-source/FOSS packages being shared via the Internet.
> > There has been legal file swapping sites being shut down because a
> > group states that they are doing something wrong - even if they are
> > not.  These attempts to reduce, or even wipe out, piracy is harming
> > the flow of legal file sharing or sites that allow you to legally
> > download files like LO and other legally sharable software and
> > multimedia.  I host a LO web site, which is a "testing portal" for my
> > DVD.  If I understand some of these regulations, I may have to close
> > that portal since I do not own the copyrights to LO and the FOSS
> > packages withing the online version of my DVD.  So a real good page
> > about piracy regulation [proposed and enacted] and sharing LO/FOSS is
> > really needed.
> That is one example, yes. The other one will be the stronger (much
> stronger) enforceability of software patents and closing down of
> websites will be ordered without judges consent. That directly affects
> FOSS and LibreOffice. I was wondering, would you like to put together
> such a text? We'd put it on our website along with the various other
> public links.
>
> Best,
I will have to think about it.

I am not much of a writer of such items, since surviving my 3 strokes.  
I sometimes can write interesting stuff, but only on my "good days".

I am not "up" on what these proposed/enacted regulations really will do, 
just what they might do by just being debated and acted on by 
local/regional law enforcement and people who "demand" the entire 
service is taken down due to the "possible" use of that service for 
piracy, even if there never has been any issues with that site/company.

The big issue for me is where items are coming from.  I tend to buy used 
books and DVDs through sites like Amazon.com, and others, that have what 
I want.  Will these sites be required to mandate that the sellers prove 
that these used items were legally made and obtained?  And how can you 
prove that?  My local used book store buys books at yard sales, and big 
regional used book sales.  How could she prove they are legally printed 
and obtained books, for the ones that she sells on the Net?  She 
cannot.  The same goes with some of the issues that I have heard are 
part of the anti-piracy regulations/laws being worked on.  Right now, if 
the copyright owner finds that their work is being sold or given away 
without their permission, they can go to the site/domain owner to have 
their work removed from that site.  If they do not, then the hosting 
company must shut down the site.  If they do not, then the laws in the 
location where the server[s] are located [determined by IP routing, 
etc.] will need to shut the equipment down based on their 
local/regional/international laws.  It is not perfect, but there can not 
be a "perfect" way to get it to work completely.  There are too many 
laws and regional governments involved.  If a site is required to make 
sure what is on their equipment is legal to ALL of the laws and regional 
governments rules, then that will be the death of the openness of the 
Internet and freedom of speech for those who create web page content, or 
offer FOSS-like packages on their servers/domains/sites.

What I say here, is my opinion and not authoritative in nature.  We need 
more authoritative and less opinion in our dealing with this subject.

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