[5299] in www-talk@info.cern.ch
Re: Bill of Rights
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jeff Smith)
Tue Aug 23 19:06:51 1994
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 01:02:06 +0200
Errors-To: listmaster@www0.cern.ch
Errors-To: listmaster@www0.cern.ch
Reply-To: sumisu@slab.ntt.jp
From: Jeff Smith <sumisu@slab.ntt.jp>
To: Multiple recipients of list <www-talk@www0.cern.ch>
If my memory serves me - a large portion of US law/constitution was
defined in terms of what the government may or may not do to or for
the individual...
js
|>In message <9408221856.AA10679@dxmint.cern.ch> Sarr Blumson writes:
|>
|>> Daniel W. Connolly says:
|>
|>>> In message <Pine.3.85.9408221141.A462-0100000@enews>, "Rob Raisch, The
|>>> Internet Company" writes:
|>
|>>> > Further, I have no idea of the number of
|>>> >consumers who view my content through your cache or what they view, how
|>>> >and when.
|>
|>>> Do you have a right to know this? There was a lot of talk at the WWW
|>>> conference in Geneva about a "Bill of Rights" for the information age.
|>>> This is an interesting issue to add to the list.
|>
|>> In the sense that he has a right to be paid for each one, yes, he has a right
|>
|>> to know the number.
|>
|>Not sure about that. If I buy a book or a paper, am I allowed to let other
|>people read bits? yes. Lend the whole of it to others? yes. Do these other
|>people have to pay the publisher? No. Do I have to inform the publisher that on
|>
|>such and such a date joe borrowed my book for two hours and read chapters 2, 4
|>and 7? No. Indeed, were I required to do so this would be a significant
|>infringement of my personal freedom.
|>
|>I do not see why merely publishing information digitally changes this
|>established practice.
|>
|>#ifdef UK_site
|>There was an interesting article in the Guardian on Monday pointing out that, i
|>n
|>contrast to the US and most of Europe, in the UK we do not have a specific
|>constitution or codified rights. Rather than specify what we may do, we have
|>(supposedly) the freedom to do anything that is not specifically illegal. The
|>present government is of course attempting to change this with the Criminal
|>Injustice Bill. But I digress.
|>
|>If a "Bill of Rights" for the information age were to be published, is there an
|>y
|>existing mechanism whereby it could be made law, as we do not have specific
|>written rights that could be added to?
|>#endif
|>
|>--
|>Chris
