[HacktionLab] Richard Stallman speaking tour of England next week

[mp]

Hi All,

You might be interested in pp: 92-107 & pp: 126-136 of:

Pedersen, J.M. (2010) ‘Free Culture in Context: Property and the
Politics of Free Software‘, The Commoner, Special Issue, Volume 14,
Winter 2010, 49-136

PDF:
http://commoning.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/the-commoner-14-winter-2010-chapter1.pdf

Overview of entire essay: http://commoning.wordpress.com/essay/

I have examined (pp: 92-107) FSF's and RMS's as well as leading Free
Culture advocates view on property, which shows very clearly - in their
own words - that none of them are *at all* critical about exclusive
ownership of anything else than software (and information generally).

Indeed, they make it very clear that exclusive ownership of material
things - the means of production, natural resources etc. - is a good
thing with which they agree. In other words, RMS's activism is a very
different one than the kind practiced in social centres, a kind of
"information exceptionalism" otherwise embracing existing power
relations in the world as they derive from material ownership.

The examination is based on an exchange of approx. hundred emails with
RMS and leads to a conclusion with refence to hacklabs (pp: 126-136).

-mp

On 28/02/11 13:33, Charlie Harvey wrote:
> I reckon I might go to the London one, anyone else heading down?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> 
> On 28/02/11 12:00, hacktionlab-request at lists.psand.net wrote:
> Message: 3
> Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2011 21:21:41 -0800 (PST)
> From: John Hodge <jhodge_98 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [HacktionLab] Richard Stallman speaking tour of England next
> 	week
> To: hacktionlab at lists.psand.net
> Message-ID: <501956.3807.qm at web33208.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
> 
> Richard Stallman is doing 5 talks at various locations around the
> country in
> early March. It seems his main current activity is around raising awareness
> against anti-downloading legislation, corporations imposing Digital Rights
> Management and cracking down on copyright infringements - so it's not the
> standard rant from him about free software. For this tour I attempted to
> set up
> some dates where he could speak in social centres and attract the sorts who
> might engage in activism around these topics - which is what he wants -
> -----------------8<---------------
> LONDON - March 7th 5.30pm-9.30pm
> A Free Digital Society
> Activities directed at ?including? more people in the use of digital
> technology
> are predicated on the assumption that such inclusion is invariably a good
> thing.  It appears so, when judged solely by immediate practical
> convenience.
> However, if we also judge in terms of human rights, whether digital
> inclusion is
> good or bad depends on what kind of digital world we are to be included
> in.  If
> we wish to work towards digital inclusion as a goal, it behooves us to
> make sure
> it is the good kind.
> Savoy Place
> London (Directions here www.theiet.org/about/locations/savoy_location.cfm)
> Register online here http://localevents.theiet.org/register.php?event=bc7fd2
> 
> BRIGHTON - March 8th 7pm
> Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks
> Copyright developed in the age of the printing press, and was designed
> to fit
> with the system of centralized copying imposed by the printing press.
> But the
> copyright system does not fit well with computer networks, and only
> draconian
> punishments can enforce it.
> The global corporations that profit from copyright are lobbying for
> draconian
> punishments, and to increase their copyright powers, while suppressing
> public
> access to technology.  But if we seriously hope to serve the only
> legitimate
> purpose of copyright--to promote progress, for the benefit of the
> public--then
> we must make changes in the other direction. This talk will also cover the
> unjust goals of the Digital Economy Act and what the UK ought to do instead.
> Chichester Lecture Theatre, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RH
> 
> 
> 
> 
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