Hello everyone. I'm a newbie here and would like to introduce myself. My name is Neville, and I've recently started putting together a Free Culture chapter at the University of Malta (the EU island state) with three other students there ( a musician, a programmer, and an aspiring diplomat).
My views are influenced by people such as Clay Shirky, Henry Jenkins, Lawrence Lessig and Cory Doctorow. You can read some of my views on the University magazine, The Insiter here *The Insiter, August 2010, pg. 38* * * *A Precarious Balance * http://issuu.com/theinsiter/docs/theinsiter-v10-e8 *The Insiter, April 2010, **pg, 39* * * *Digital Democracy* http://issuu.com/theinsiter/docs/theinsiter_vol10-6 I have recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and have now shifted my focus on public policy, with the aim of focusing on reform in intellectual property systems at the EU level. Particularly, at the moment I am writing a series of articles for 'The New Federalist' on the proposed EU-wide patent system that was rushed through with a minority of member states agreeing and with the complete absence of countries like Italy from the process. I will keep you updated when they start being published. At the moment my research focuses on digital media policy and intellectual property policy issues, particularly in the field of emerging artforms. I advocate for reasonable reform in light of new media, and have been known to engage in protracted arguments with copyright proponents (people working with major book publishers, music rights collection societies' representatives etc) both online and offline. However, these remain friends of mine and we respect each others opposing viewpoints. They have even agreed to participate in future SFC events and initiatives as 'devil's advocates' as some of them are genuinely interested in pursuing new business models but are wary of letting go of systems they have worked with for two decades, even as their profits plunge. By leveraging the University's Debating Society, I aim to host debates that will feature different viewpoints and that will keep students informed on what's happening in the world; they will be able to meet entrepreneurs who will see a general interest in web-based solutions for drm-free ebooks in open formats for instance, and this will help make the trend come here as well. There is no publishing house selling e-books at the moment but I am afraid that the major one (Merlin) are considering a closed format and the Kindle or iPad platforms (I know they love everything Apple related). By having them attend the Free Culture debate, I hope to help avert that model becoming the norm. I am also concerned with the lack of awareness in Malta (except in closed circles) of open software and open standards; lack of knowledge on IP/copyright; and a general tendency for students to simply pirate entertainment because they frustrated with the lack of options in this country (and the EU in genera) - no Netflix, Hulu, Pandora and other great services here. So my aim is to hold an information seminar in late January and then start building a movement that will use the Youth in Action programme to promote a common digital market for the EU. Another thing I aim to do is focus more specifically on copyright issues. During these past months I have made a lot of contacts with people who are interested in restoring balance to the internet policy of our country, which is mostly outdated. I am already working on hosting a Copynight or CC Salon in April around the time of international IP day in order to promote copyleft ideologies. That was a long email, and I apologise for that. I am really excited in setting on this new journey in 2011! I only wish I could attend the NYC conference. Well, maybe next time. Feel free to share any feedback on my ideas! Cheers neville bezzina malta
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