FC: One more round of replies to weekly column: Time for a GeekPAC?

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

Previous Politech message:
http://www.politechbot.com/p-04197.html

---

Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 07:12:08 -0500
From: Barry Ritholtz <ritholtz () optonline net>
Subject: Re: FC: Replies to weekly column: Is it time for a GeekPAC?
To: declan () well com

hey Declan,

I find it fascinating that the technology industry hasn't shown the 
"content industry" the back of its hand.

Post bubble IT spending -- indeed, corporate capital spending of just about 
any kind -- has mostly ground to a halt. The only thing driving any sort of 
technology sales are consumers. They are buying or upgrading systems only 
so they can play multimedia.  Either DVD players or iPods or TiVos or cable 
modems or iMacs or 2 Ghz P4 PCs, its the only IT spending game in town.

Here's the conundrum: How has an industry 1/4 the size of the 
telecom/technology sector, with its gloried  history of price fixing -- and 
being their own worst enemies (by opposing radio, VCRs, MTV and recently 
P2P and TiVo) -- have managed to lobby their way to setting technology 
policy? Its an issue the tech industry better address -- and soon -- or 
else they will find themselves marginalized by the creeps.

Instead, many firms -- including Microsoft -- are playing a game of 
appeasement. The sooner the tech industry realizes that the RIAA/MPAA has 
declared war on them, the better off they will be . . .


Regards,


Barry L. Ritholtz
[mailto: britholtz () maximgrp com]
Chief Market Strategist
Maxim Group
(516) 918-5529

---

Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 16:23:05 -0500 (EST)
From: Dean Anderson <dean () av8 com>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
cc: politech () politechbot com
Subject: Re: FC: Replies to weekly column: Is it time for a GeekPAC?

I think its kind of funny that John Levine should take the time to
criticize me with respect to the LPF.

Paul Vixie has told me in personal email that he is pro-patent. I suspect
that John Levine is probably pro-patent, as well.  Levine was never a
member of the LPF. The LPF was soliciting for prominent computer
scientists in 1994-1995 to sign the LPF Amicus Curie brief to the Appeals
and the Supreme Court in Lotus V. Borland. Levine didn't sign.

Levine's leadership in the anti-spam movement has been less than
effective. It was radicals (including Levine) on CAUCE that prevented
anti-spam legislation from being passed in 1998 when they wouldn't accept
any compromise that didn't ban spam entirely. Thus, they lost altogether.

At the time, I proposed a compromise, which wouldn't completely ban spam,
but would eliminate the most serious problems. My proposal was much
stronger than the current "anti-spam" legislation under consideration.
and would have permitted a single opt-out list. My proposal would have
been difficult for the DMA to challenge, since it had already accepted
these constraints on junk postal mail. The current legislation merely
requires every company to have its own opt-out list.

Back then, the anti-spam radicals wouldn't accept anything less than a
complete ban, and rejected my proposal. Well, now, thanks to efforts of
John Levine and others, they have nothing to bargain with, and the DMA is
calling the legislative shots.

My 1998 proposal can still be seen at
http://www.av8.com/H.4581/better.html

I even told them about anti-trust back them, having actually run boycotts
and protest marches for the LPF, and having been advised by prominent
attorneys and law professors at prominent law schools on the subject. I
predicted that Exactis v. MAPS would happen, and that they had to reach a
compromise.  They refused. They are responsible for the spam you get
today.

                --Dean

---

Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 08:36:26 -0800
From: LR <lruss () superlink net>
Organization: ...
To: declan () well com
Subject: Re: FC: Replies to weekly column: Is it time for a GeekPAC?


Declan McCullagh wrote:
>
> ---
>
> Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 13:16:26 -0500
> From: Ned Jackson Lovely <politics () qu to>
> To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
> Subject: Re: FC: Weekly column: Is it time for a GeekPAC?
[big snips]

> 2. Get a succinct statement of some goals that will be obvious to any
>     techie as good things. Maybe two or three statements of our philosophy.
>     I might suggest something like:
>     a. Any government regulation of technology should support innovation and
>        progress.
>     b. Innovation and progress only occur when people have the tools, 
ability,
>        and incentive to create and sell new products.


These two items may be obvious, but what about the nitty gritty details?


> 3. Make a list of specific issues, with a stance on these issues that is
>     clearly informed by our statement of philosophy.

Oh, I guess this is where all the nasty details have to go.  EG...

1) Is software speech?

2) If it is, what does that do to:
        a) DMCA and its friends.
        b) software patents.
        c) licensing of 'software engineers'.

3) If it's not, what does that do to:
        a) DMCA and its friends.
        b) software copyright.
        c) publishers of books with software examples.


4) How are we going to ensure a reasonable amount of protection to
producers of intellectual property? (see Ned Jackson Lovely's item 2.b
above)

5) Should there be any IP protection for software?

Forming geekPak is probably a nice idea.  Considering the range of
opinion that I've seen on these matters, getting people to agree on what
it should be supporting might be another matter.

I'm looking forward to concrete proposals, but I'm reserving my right to
support only those organizations that agree with my views.

L. Russ




-------------------------------------------------------------------------
POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list
You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice.
To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html
This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/
Recent CNET News.com articles: http://news.search.com/search?q=declan
-------------------------------------------------------------------------