[d@DCC] name suggestions

[Russell McOrmond]

On Wed, 14 Apr 2004, Jason Young wrote:

> Questions

  Just my personal answers.

> - are you focusing on copyright?

  I would say no.  I believe we would be better to focus on innovation and 
creativity, rather than the current laws that govern these things.  
Internationally these areas of policy are often mixed together under the 
term "Intellectual Property", or even PCT 
<http://www.wsis-pct.org/ipr-disclaimer.html>.

  I'm wanting to avoid those that narrow, such as copyright, copyfreedom,
and especially copyleft (which is extremely narrow, even if I support it
in specific instances).

> - are you focusing on reform?

  We want to be seen as "pro" something as much as possible, even if we 
started as a response to reforms that would harm innovation and 
creativity.

  Pro "business model neutrality"
  Pro "independent creativity"
  Pro "co-existence of commercial and non-commercial innovation and 
creativity"
  Pro "citizens rights to own and control ICT"

  I won't say "procreation" as that sounds like something different ;-)


> - do you want to invoke "expertise" (institute, centre, foundation), 
> "constituency" (association, coalition, national), "dialogue" or 
> "purpose" (union, national, forum, congress, etc.)

  Ignoring my previous note, I like the word "citizen" even if we also 
want to attract corporate support.

  Many of these words have a defined structural meaning (Union, 
foundation, etc) so we need to be careful not to pigeon-hole our structure 
by picking a name that would direct us that way.

> - do you have any unifying themes? (i.e. copyright, public interest, 
> the Internet, etc.)

  Pro "citizens owning and controlling ICT"  (A pro-rewording of 
opposition to Legal protection for TPM/RMI/DRM).

> Notes
> - don't like "audience" - too passive

  I also believe many of us believe that the line between audience and
follow-on creation is extremely thin.  This is why I wouldn't support a 
name that focused on "fair use" or use in general.

> - don't like "libre" - means nothing in English

  I use the term Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS).  It works 
great in Canadian and European government circles, but is lost on "the 
average joe".

  I also disagree with the comment that the word "open" is more clear than 
the word "free".  Coming from heated debates over recent years between 
"Free Software", "Open Source Software" and even "Shared source software", 
you have to educate people on what any of the words "free, open or shared" 
mean as peoples conceptions don't often have anything to do with what you 
mean.

  Freedom has a well understood meaning.  As with the word "Rights" which 
could include rights around creativity and innovation.

  The word "Democracy" would require too much explanation for people as to 
why we would use it.

  The phrase "Digital Rights" made me think of "Management" after it, so 
that may need too much explaining.

> - don't rush - a name is something you'll have to live with

  Probably True.

  Other issue that came up in a number of your suggestions:  Some of the
names are very similar in theme to the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF),
which makes me wonder again if we are re-inventing the wheel when we
really want to do in Canada what the EFF is doing in the USA.  There is an
EFC.ca in Canada, but the ability to join with them and expand is severely
limited given the current people (3) who comprise EFC.ca.

  Are we still looking to create a group to be a Canadian EFF entirely as
a response to problems in the EFC?  When addressing the name issue, do we 
need to publicly open this can-of-worms again as well?  I don't want to go 
back in the archives, but I got a déjà vu feeling.

  Electronic Frontier Canada (EFC)  - Can't be added to the list as it is
already taken, but if/when we grow large enough the possibility of merging
and using that name in common exists.


  I also believe we have CIPPIC worrying about "Internet Policy", so can 
leave that one alone ;-)

  My quick preference vote (with my mind changing all the time ;-), adding
my own suggestion:

Digital Innovation and Creativity Canada (DICC)
(Creative) Citizens for Digital Freedom (CDF/CCDF)
> Canadians for Digital Freedom (CDF)
> Digital Commons Canada (DCC)
> Free Expression Canada (FEC)
> (Creative) Canadians for Cultural Freedom (CCCF)
> Libre Culture Canada (LCC)
> Free Culture Canada  (FCC)
> Canadians for the Freedom of Culture in a Digital Environment (CanFree Culture)

-- 
 Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/> 
 "Make it legal: don't litigate, use creative licensing" campaign.
 A modern answer to P2P: http://www.flora.ca/makelegal200403.shtml
 Canadian File-sharing Legal Information Network http://www.canfli.org/

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