On Jan 16, 2014 8:41 AM, "David Gerard" <dger...@gmail.com> wrote: > > On 16 January 2014 15:36, Andrew Lih <andrew....@gmail.com> wrote: > > On Thu, Jan 16, 2014 at 9:14 AM, Todd Allen <toddmal...@gmail.com> wrote: > > >> This proposal asks to move to a "free as in beer" model, where content will > >> be free to view, but not necessarily to reuse (and with the opaque license, > >> it may not even be possible to tell). We could choose to make that change, > >> but it is a major change to the founding principles of what we do. As such > >> it should be discussed directly and across all projects as such a major > >> change, and not backdoored through a vote that is on its surface a question > >> about format support. > > > As much as I hate how MPEG-LA and MPEG-4 creates a non-free climate for our > > video, it's unfair to use "backdoor" to characterize intent of either > > community members or WMF employees in this area. > > > I think it's quite fair to note, loudly and often, that *functionally* > it creates a backdoor for nonfree content. > > This is a major, major change, being posited as allowing a format. > > Furthermore, this has been discussed before, and the proponents *are > fully aware* that it is a major, major change that they are positing > as allowing a format. > > So claiming that it's "assuming bad faith" to notice this and say so > comes across as disingenuous. > > > - d. > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
That is exactly my intent. I don't mean to imply WMF is acting with malice here. However, in this instance, a technological change would cause a significant shift in the principles and ethics behind what we do. So rather than focusing on technology, the question should be whether free content should be removed as a fundamental principle of our movement. Functionally, that is what this proposal, if implemented, would do. Otherwise, exactly as David explained, corrosion to that principle slips in by the back door, whether by accident or design. If we want to ask that question, ask it directly. _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>