[Opensim-users] Free objects (dmu1 and dmu2 .IAR files)

[Dickson, Mike (ISS Software)]

The repository idea as a means of classification is a good one.  I like that.

It doesn't address what criteria are used regarding what gets into them.  In the Ubuntu case everything has a known license that's been asserted for the content. 

I'm far less comfortable with your earlier assertion that in the absence of a license its safe to assume something is in the public domain.  Especially since you cited patent law which really doesn't apply to electronic content anyway.  Personally I'd prefer that if a repository mechanism is set up it require that a license is asserted for anything that goes into it.  If I put something up I'm stating that I have the right to do so and under what terms.  I suppose you could have a "use at your own risk" repository for things where the creator is unknown.  I'd personally never use something from such a repo...

This is a case where we can build some goodwill with the content creation community by being careful how content is classified and shared.  

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: opensim-users-bounces at lists.berlios.de [mailto:opensim-users-bounces at lists.berlios.de] On Behalf Of Karen Palen
Sent: Thursday, December 10, 2009 4:34 PM
To: opensim-users at lists.berlios.de
Subject: Re: [Opensim-users] Free objects (dmu1 and dmu2 .IAR files)

Yes indeed you touch on a couple of the essential issues! I won't even try to present the alternative and opposing views apart from observing that they exist.

You only have to look at the blogs to come up with a huge volume of discussion, debate and name calling on this subject.

At present my thought is to emulate the Linux software repositories, Ubuntu being the one that I am most familiar with.

Ubuntu has several levels of repository:

"Canonical suported (main)"
"Community maintained" (universe)
"Proprietary drivers" (restricted)
"Software restricted by copyright or legal issues" (multiverse)
"Software that is restricted by geography, free speech restrictions, crypto restrictions etc." (Medibuntu)

Finally for those who want totally unrestricted content there is always PirateBay.com.

In this way the end user may determine what level of restriction or licensing is appropriate for their individual requirements and/or conscience.

It is far from a perfect solution, but it seems about as good as any that I have seen.

Getting back to my original point (rant) though, while the repositories are completely independent, the Ubuntu documentation includes directions for finding and evaluating all of them - except for PirateBay :-)!

My model for the OpenSim content "library" is something similar. Several "levels" of repository with a central index of repositories and descriptions of their content in the OpenSim Wiki.

Only one of the repositories need be actually supported or endorsed by opensimulator.org, but I fell strongly that all legal content should be findable through the wiki. 

If that is not done then eventually other distribution channels will certainly spring up with things that none of us want to see distributed. For example the latest copybot - apparently V5.00 10.2.2009 which can be found with little effort on the P2P networks.

Karen

--- On Thu, 12/10/09, Mic Bowman <cmickeyb at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Mic Bowman <cmickeyb at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Opensim-users] Free objects (dmu1 and dmu2 .IAR files)
> To: opensim-users at lists.berlios.de
> Date: Thursday, December 10, 2009, 12:13 PM
> Just a couple observations on this
> discussion... 
> 
> If you want professional content creators to be willing to
> license high quality content for use in opensim grids, you
> need to gain their trust that content will be used
> appropriately. That can be through well documented (and
> demonstrated) take down procedures. Or through some common
> set of agreements among grid owners about how content will
> be handled. Or...
> 
> 
> And... many companies won't touch "free"
> content unless its provenance can be established. I know we
> require some form of "certificate of origin" or a
> clear license that grants rights to use the content. And for
> content we use internally, we keep those licenses archived.
> Providing a means for a content owner to describe the
> license for use seems like a good thing no matter what.
> Given that oar and iar files are just tar files... could we
> add an optional "license" file in a well known
> location without messing up the load/save?
> 
> 
> --mic



      
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