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SFWA and copyright
Nov. 30th, 2007 01:26 pmSFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc., have proceeded to yet again shoot themselves in the foot.
A few months back, over the US Labor Day holiday, SFWA VP and anti-piracy cop Dr. Andrew Burt sent out DCMA takedown notices that were, at best, grossly in error. There was a massive flap, and an advisory committee was formed to sort it out. John Scalzi chaired,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jimhines was a member. They came up with a decent set of recommendations, most of which were adopted.
One big, if informal, recommendation NOT adopted was to get Burt out of the copyright cop position. This was ignored. Burt then poured gasoline on the fire by getting right back on the same wagon that started this mess.
Don't get me wrong - there are folks who are actively against copyright. (Cory Doctorow, for one.) In similar fashion Jerry Pournelle is frequently painted as a copyright dinosaur. However, I've read his public posts, and his opinion on copyright seems reasonable to me.
This whole flap seems to point two problems with volunteer groups, and I've been in many. The first problem is that sometimes you get people whose chief qualification for the job is that they have time on their hands.
The second problem is that they don't respond well to criticism. Criticism, even of a valid nature, is frequently taken personally. This leads to a "circle the wagons" mentality.
Although Burt obviously wanted to be back on the committee, a quick glance at the vote of the board (8 to 1) suggests that his vote was not critical. So, if the SFWA members don't like what's going on, they're going to have to "vote the bums out" which means getting on the ballot and campaigning.
The only good thing from SFWA's point of view is that, although Burt's back in the saddle, his wings have been clipped, since it appears he can't send out much more then a grocery list without approval. It's a pity Burt didn't take the hint and lay low.
A few months back, over the US Labor Day holiday, SFWA VP and anti-piracy cop Dr. Andrew Burt sent out DCMA takedown notices that were, at best, grossly in error. There was a massive flap, and an advisory committee was formed to sort it out. John Scalzi chaired,
jimhines was a member. They came up with a decent set of recommendations, most of which were adopted.One big, if informal, recommendation NOT adopted was to get Burt out of the copyright cop position. This was ignored. Burt then poured gasoline on the fire by getting right back on the same wagon that started this mess.
Don't get me wrong - there are folks who are actively against copyright. (Cory Doctorow, for one.) In similar fashion Jerry Pournelle is frequently painted as a copyright dinosaur. However, I've read his public posts, and his opinion on copyright seems reasonable to me.
This whole flap seems to point two problems with volunteer groups, and I've been in many. The first problem is that sometimes you get people whose chief qualification for the job is that they have time on their hands.
The second problem is that they don't respond well to criticism. Criticism, even of a valid nature, is frequently taken personally. This leads to a "circle the wagons" mentality.
Although Burt obviously wanted to be back on the committee, a quick glance at the vote of the board (8 to 1) suggests that his vote was not critical. So, if the SFWA members don't like what's going on, they're going to have to "vote the bums out" which means getting on the ballot and campaigning.
The only good thing from SFWA's point of view is that, although Burt's back in the saddle, his wings have been clipped, since it appears he can't send out much more then a grocery list without approval. It's a pity Burt didn't take the hint and lay low.
