Comparing funding disclosures of Public Knowledge, New America, PFF, ITIF

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Ronald J Riley (RJR)" <rjr () rjriley com>
> Date: October 20, 2009 15:49:08 EDT
> To: dave () farber net
> Subject: RE: [IP] Comparing funding disclosures of Public Knowledge,  
> New America, PFF, ITIF

> Dave, for IP if you wish.
>
> I find the claim of being supported by foundations interesting  
> because it is a fact that quite a number of nasty patent pirating  
> corporations have their own foundations which just happen to support  
> so called public interest entities which also just happen to support  
> the parent corporations’ agendas in a multitude of ways.
>
> Maybe I am too cynical, but in over a decade of fighting attempts by  
> large transnational corporations who are unable to produce  
> significant inventions for themselves to undermine inventor property  
> rights I have noticed that the one area where they are creative is  
> in sleazy public relations, or should I say propaganda campaigns.  I  
> have also noticed that they commonly pick misleading names such as  
> Public Patent Foundation, Coalition for Patent Fairness, Public  
> Knowledge, and the list goes on.  They always have an agenda which  
> is anything but public spirited.
>
> One last point, another common tactic is to hand out awards to  
> people who may actually be public spirited as cover for their more  
> nefarious activities.
>
> Ronald J. Riley,
>
>
> I am speaking only on my own behalf.
> Affiliations:
> President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
> Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
> Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
> President - Alliance for American Innovation
> Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased  
> founder Paul Heckel
> Washington, DC
> Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
>
>
> From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 9:26 AM
> To: ip
> Subject: [IP] Comparing funding disclosures of Public Knowledge, New  
> America, PFF, ITIF
>
> It is a lot more complicated in that one really needs to tunnel down  
> into who funds the funders.
>
> ALSO I DO NOT PERSONALLY CHALLENGE POSTED ARTICLES UNLESS THEY ARE  
> OBVIOUS LIES OR OVERLY HOSTILE. I HAVE OFTEN SAID THIS BUT PEOPLE  
> DON'T READ  DJF
>
> DAVE
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: "David P. Reed" <dpreed () reed com>
> Date: October 20, 2009 12:01:27 PM EDT
> To: dave () farber net
> Cc: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
> Subject: Comparing funding disclosures of Public Knowledge, New  
> America, PFF, ITIF
>
> Since IP has chosen to post a statement that implies that certain DC  
> firms are not disclosing when they are supported by corporate  
> interestes, I thought I'd do a little online research.  Perhaps this  
> would be a bit more "fair and balanced" than the unchallenged  
> statement you posted, Dave.
>
> It's  worth pointing out that Public Knowledge is a "public interest  
> group".  New America Foundation is a "nonprofit, nonpartisan public  
> policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas".  That  
> makes it a "think tank" doing research, not a public interest  
> group.  This is quite different.  One attempts to represent a  
> particular segment of public interest.  The other does research and  
> reports to provide analysis and understanding.
>
> Not mentioned by the accuser, but included for my comparison, are  
> two other prominent policy actors with regard to the Internet, PFF  
> and ITIF.  They are, like New America, think-tanks, and not "public  
> interest groups".
>
> PFF is a "market-oriented think tank that studies the impact of the  
> digital revolution and its implications for public policy"
>
> ITIF is a "non-partisan research and educational institute - a think- 
> tank - whose mission is to formulate and promote public polices to  
> advance technological innovation and productivity internationally,  
> in Washington, and in the states".
>
> Now let's look at disclosure of funding!  This was interesting.
>
> I checked what Public Knowledge discloses, since it was attacked by  
> another poster as "actually taking money from corporations".  Here's  
> their disclosure, quite publicly available on their website.   
> [Please note that I am not affiliated with Public Knowledge, though  
> I did receive an award from them a few years ago, perhaps because  
> they find that I serve the public interest.]
>
> http://www.publicknowledge.org/about/who/funders
>
> The bulk of their money seems to come from foundations, unless the  
> claim is that the pie chart lies.  They disclose every corporate  
> donor and foundation.
>
> I also found that New America prominently discloses its funding: http://www.newamerica.net/about/funding
> and the bulk seems to be foundations as well. [Please note that I am  
> not affiliated with New America either, though I have helped them by  
> providing information to their staff on some reports in the past].
>
> PFF is a somewhat more vague, but pretty clearly corporate funded:
>     http://www.pff.org/about/supporters.html
> Note that it says "supporters ... include" but it does not indicate  
> either level of funding or discount that there might be substantial  
> funders not on the list on that page.   I would also note that  
> Google is a supporter of PFF - I doubt that means that Google  
> directs their work.  [I am not affiliated with PFF, though I have  
> participated in events hosted by Adam Thierer when he was at Cato  
> before PFF].
>
> Now let's look at ITIF.   I have searched its site comprehensively.   
> I cannot find any disclosure of its sources of funding whatever,  
> neither "type of funding" nor "names of prominent funders".  [I am  
> not affiliated with ITIF]
>
> What is most interesting to me is that the organizations who  
> disagree with PK and New America Foundation are the ones whose  
> funding disclosures are the least complete, and in one case,  
> apparently entirely dominated by corporations.
>
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> Archives



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