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Nick, I personally think the answer *isn't* to look too hard at the detail (That Way Be Dragons! And Treacle! And at least another Ten Years of Debate!), but try to continue asking the big questions about value, access, openness - in which case I think we're not only *entitled* to comment, blog (I did), read and endlessly opine - but should actively do so. I'm not sure about the whole "ammunition" thing - personally, I'd rather see the debate going on out in the open with a whole variety of views (however naive) being canvassed. But that could just be me :-) cheers Mike Mike Ellis Professional Services Group Eduserv [log in to unmask] tel: 01225 470522 mob: 07017 031522 fax: 01225 474301 www.eduserv.org.uk -----Original Message----- From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nick Poole Sent: 15 July 2009 11:17 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: NPG / Wikimedia Mike, Many thanks for this. It is difficult to comment because this is an ongoing legal dispute and we don't yet know how it will be resolved. They say 'when you have the facts, argue the facts, but when you have the law argue the law', and I think the law in this instance will prove to be pretty unequivocal. The difficulty, it seems, will be in establishing jurisdiction and in keeping the situation within the scope of this particular action. There is considerable potential here for this case to become a hostage to the theoretical jihad about the nature and ethics of Copyright - and you can easily see how prone it is to polemic and spin on both sides of the debate (and the Atlantic) - and there are already notes of this in the Wikimedia Commons discussion page (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Dcoetzee/NPG_legal_threat). It is also very hard to have any kind of reasoned view on the situation unless you are directly involved in it. We don't know the nature of the previous communication between the NPG and the user, nor the position of the Wikimedia Foundation in all this. I would suggest that pretty much any position any of us could take on it at this stage would be based more on supposition than fact (unless anyone from the NPG involved in the case wants to chip in!) and we need to be extremely careful as a community not to lend any ammunition to what could conceivably become a conflict in the press. I think we might be best to leave the analysis until we have the facts and a resolution - although obviously the implications of either decision would impact on all of us. All best, Nick -----Original Message----- From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Ellis Sent: 15 July 2009 10:43 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: NPG / Wikimedia Wow, the MCG list is frighteningly quiet about the NPG thing... http://www.google.com/search?q=npg+legal+action What's occurring? :-) Mike Ellis Professional Services Group Eduserv [log in to unmask] tel: 01225 470522 mob: 07017 031522 fax: 01225 474301 www.eduserv.org.uk **************************************************************** For mcg information visit the mcg website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk. To manage your subscription to this email list visit http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email.shtml **************************************************************** **************************************************************** For mcg information visit the mcg website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk. To manage your subscription to this email list visit http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email.shtml **************************************************************** **************************************************************** For mcg information visit the mcg website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk. To manage your subscription to this email list visit http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email.shtml ****************************************************************