NationStates Jolt Archive

It states that all government work will be made publicly available. I don't know about you, but I don't want my citizens looking at everything my goverment says!

It also states that work will pass into the public domain if the author fails to perfect the copyright. I think this section is too loosely defined.

I agree, I would like some public domain laws, but not the ones proposed.

Not so sure I have a problem with just the governmental works release.

They seem to believe "shareware" should be in the public domain, as should "freeware."

The Allied States of DragonIV have a large contingent of software developers, who will glady tell you that while the software may be "freeware" or "shareware," that does not mean that you may use the code to your own devices and give no credit or compensation--only the executable (and not a decompiled version of it) is considered "free."

As it stands, I cannot and will not support this resolution.

Fang Aldersoot
Commissioner of Technical Sciences
Allied States of DragonIV

We concur with DragonIV. The proposers have made some pretty elementary flaws in terminology.

Yeah. I don't think the proposal meant that all government papers have to be revealed, but the wording is questionable. It needs to be redone.

I don't believe in it at all. I agree that my government's policies should be kept secret unless I myself deem them worthy. The people do not need to know what happens to those who dissappear in the night or when no one is looking.

The part on authored works is ok. But I must ask, what about international copyrights? If someone from my country were to publish something that my government deems safe for the populus and gets a local copyright on it, but does not secure an international copyright, does that mean that it is free domain in another country? It should be made clear, I don't want my government cheated on the taxes from exporting media of any kind.

Current votes

For 1931

Against 678

please vote NO!

Current votes

For 1931

Against 678

please vote NO!

Everyone should also be aware that the proposal doesn’t specify how long copyright is. A country could declare copyright exists for a day, and then everything would end up public domain.

Vote NO now!

It is the opinion of Her Most Serene Majesty, Queen Mezzenrach, that this abominable resolution should be soundly defeated for several reasons, not the least of which being that it works to undermine the hard work of artists, writers, composers and anyone else enjoying the protection of current international copyright treaties.

Copyright is different in many countries, though the basic idea of it being that a written work is owned by the creator until about fifty (50) years after the death of the author (and in some countries this is 75 years). Furthermore, there are then other applications which may be made by the estate, where it exists, for an extension, to be applied towards the surviving family (or an assigned third party, according to the wishes of the composer). An example of this would be well seen through the operas of Giuseppe Verdi. At the time of his death, in 1901, he left the rights to all of his works to the establishment of a home for aging musicians in Milan. His will allowed for this home to have the copyrights reassigned, thus allowing them to continue to enjoy the gift that this great artist had endowed them with, long after his death.

Those who create must be allowed to determine the course of their works. While they are alive, they own their works, unless they voluntarily forfeit OR sell the work. Otherwise, a work does not enter the Public Domain until the expiration of the assigned copyright.

We cannot stress how much this new resolution diminishes this RIGHT, and would, therefore, discourage those who dedicate so much of their personal industry into the creation of new works, knowing that they may lose the rights to their material arbitrarily.

The "Public Domain" ALREADY EXISTS - as previously mentioned, the works of many composers, such as Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, and many others, are now in the public domain, meaning that orchestras and ensembles can use their music without regard of the publication (unless it is a new edition). However, there are NEW editions of some "classical" works, which are NOT in the Public Domain, such as the works of Hector Berlioz, which were published, and then re-issued with changes - which re-established the copyright to the estate for an additional 75 years.

It is NOT simply a "black and white" situation that can be addressed in a four-point resolution, and thus, Mezzenrach STRONGLY recommends that this resolution be defeated. It is flawed at the most basic level, and should have never been accepted as a proposal, let alone as a resolution.

For Her Most Serene Majesty, Queen Mezzen,
Prime Minister Mesto auf Mezzenrach &
An'dor, Minister of International Relations & Intergovernmental Affairs

We of Cacodaemonomania concur. This is, yet again, an overreaching resolution which ravages the concept of national sovereignty.