April 2011 - P2P-Foundation - lists.ourproject.org

Ars Technica Article On IP Law Implications Of 3D Printing
by Michel Bauwens 07 Apr '11

07 Apr '11

Ars Technica Article On IP Law Implications Of 3D Printing<http://groups.google.com/group/openmanufacturing/t/a81bb56d468d9b1a> Bryan Bishop <kanzure(a)gmail.com> Apr 06 01:43PM -0500 ^<?ui=2&view=bsp&ver=ohhl4rw8mbn4#12f2fe6fc1814c2e_digest_top> http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/04/the-next-napster-copyright-… The Penrose Triangle is as elegant as it is impossible—much like M.C. Escher’s drawings, it presents a two-dimensional illusion that the eye interprets as three-dimensional. The task of effectively creating this illusion in three dimensions, without resorting to hidden openings or gimmicky twists, seemed daunting until a Netherlands-based designer named Ulrich Schwanitz succeeded in printing the object recently< http://www.ff3300.com/wordpress/input/impossible-penrose-triangle-now-possi… >. But Schwanitz, who posted a YouTube video of his design achievement<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B09SQCsMQok>in action, wouldn’t share his secret with the world. Instead, he made his “impossible triangle” available for purchase through Shapeways, a company that fabricates custom 3D designs, for $70< http://www.shapeways.com/model/206411/impossible_triangle_5____12_cm.html?g… > . Within weeks of Schwanitz’s “discovery,” however, a 3D modeler (and former Shapeways intern) named Artur Tchoukanov watched the video and figured out how to recreate the shape. He then uploaded instructions to Thingiverse<http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6456>, an open-source repository of 3D models and content. BoingBoing picked up the story <http://boingboing.net/2011/02/17/impossible-penrose-t.html> (well, part of it), and “wrongly” credited Tchoukanov as the initial creator of the object. The same day the story ran, Schwanitz sent Thingiverse a DMCA takedown notice< http://blog.thingiverse.com/2011/02/18/copyright-and-intellectual-property-… >and demanded that the site remove Tchoukanov’s design (and a related one) because it allegedly infringed Schwanitz’s copyright. Although the copyright claim was questionable at best—was Schwanitz asserting copyright in the 3D design file, the image, or the structure itself?—Thingiverse nevertheless complied with the notice and removed the offending designs. The Penrose triangle “For better or worse,” Thingiverse founder Bre Pettis wrote on the site’s blog, “we’ve hit a milestone in the history of digital fabrication.” A few days later, after coming under Internet scrutiny, Schwanitz rescinded his DMCA complaint< http://boingboing.net/2011/02/21/3d-printings-first-c.html>and promised to release his shape into the public domain. But the damage was done. As Cory Doctorow eloquently put it, Schwanitz “became the inventor of something much more substantial than a 3D Penrose Triangle—he became the inventor of copyright threats over open 3D repositories.” Schwanitz’s DMCA takedown notice was indeed a milestone for Thingiverse, which had operated free of any public accusations of patent or copyright infringement since it was founded. As a result of the incident, Thingiverse updated its legal page with DMCA language <http://www.thingiverse.com/legal#dmca>. But the complaint spoke to something broader, and far more significant for 3D printing as a new technology: Schwanitz’s takedown was the first shot in the next theater of the intellectual property (IP) wars. It was also the first formal attempt to apply copyright law to regulate content on a 3D printing repository of any kind. While Ars readers have enjoyed great coverage< http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/11/3d-fabbers-dont-let-the-dmc… >of 3D printing-related topics, the general public still isn't familiar with the technology. Indeed, many of my legal colleagues were baffled as I explained how any physical object can now be scanned to generate a CAD (computer-aided design) file and later recreated—anywhere, anytime—using a 3D printer. All agreed that such a technology would have unprecedented implications for intellectual property law (and vice versa). As with all technology, as 3D printing becomes simpler, more powerful, and more common, it will catch the eyes of more lawyers, regulators, and, of course, individual designers like Ulrich Schwanitz. And that will mean conflict. Here's a primer on some of the key legal issues that will frame the upcoming battles. A disruptor like no other Though still in its infancy, personal 3D printing technology already shows the same disruptive potential as the original printing press. Just as moveable type spread across Europe and democratized knowledge, the proliferation of 3D printers eventually promises to democratize *creation*<http://www.economist.com/node/18114221?story_id=18114221>. Broken dishwasher part? Download the relevant CAD file and print it out in plastic. While Amazon made trips to the store seem dated, 3D printing will make ordering (some) things online feel positively quaint. Most people think of “printing” as a strictly 2D affair, but 3D printing works much like its 2D cousin, the inkjet printer, though it builds up a succession of layers to form its objects. Such printers can cost between thousands <http://sldtech.com/?page_id=299> and hundreds of thousands of dollars (a build-it-yourself model, the RepRap<http://www.reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page>, can be assembled for a few hundred bucks). <http://static.arstechnica.com/03-25-2011/reprap_machine.jpg> The RepRap The fabrication process begins with a 3D design file, created from scratch or drawn from a 3D scan of an object. Software deconstructs the 3D image into a series of 2D cross-sectional slices and the printer deposits layers of material<http://www.me.psu.edu/lamancusa/rapidpro/primer/chapter2.htm#fdm >, typically plastic <http://www.redeyeondemand.com/FAQ-Materials.aspx#whatarematerialsused>or metal< http://i.materialise.com/blog/entry/i-materialise-launches-stainless-steel-… >, one atop the other in the shape of each 2D slice. The layers are fused, and the fabricated object is treated and hardened. Because 3D printers don’t need to carve material from preexisting blocks (as in sculpture), the process allows for elaborate and visually<http://www.flickr.com/photos/imaterialise/5224237885/> stunning shapes <http://www.unfold.be/pages/projects/items/utanalog> to be created in a matter of hours with no manual labor. The size of these shapes is only limited by the size of the printer making them—heck, combine a big enough one with a space probe and you’re halfway to Von Neumann technology. All that is well and good, but as Thingiverse recently discovered, any technology that allows users to digitize and replicate objects is bound to have some IP implications. And it’s precisely because of its potential as a game changer that 3D printing presents challenging legal questions best addressed before the technology becomes ubiquitous. Gutenberg didn’t have to worry much about intellectual property laws, but he had to compete with an array of other legal and societal challenges to his invention. Eventually copyright, a novel concept in the 16th century, emerged as a means to regulate Gutenberg’s disruptive technology< http://www.arl.org/pp/ppcopyright/copyresources/copytimeline.shtml>. 3D printing is especially intriguing from a legal perspective because, like the printing press, it has broad implications for the existing legal regime (including all three areas of IP - patent, copyright, and trademark), but it also presents issues that may warrant broad changes to existing law—or require new laws entirely. Under the radar In discussing the topic with colleagues and reviewing the state of the law, I found that few people have spoken up on how the law will influence 3D printing. How has so disruptive a technology remained in the legal shadows? First, the promise of one day making anything, anytime, out of almost any material <http://www.economist.com/node/18114221?story_id=18114221> is so broad that no one knows—or can really know—exactly how that technology will affect them. P2P software and websites that became flush with copyrighted media quickly drew the ire of studios who were directly being harmed. But artists, designers, and inventors alike may take a wait-and-see approach until 3D printing technology directly affects them, just as Schwanitz did. A Dimension 3D printer Second, 3D printing today remains a hobbyist-driven enterprise with a high barrier to entry. Some readers may recall that it wasn’t until Sony began advertising an affordable Beta-format VCR in 1975 that Hollywood studios took notice of home video recording and famously decided to file suit against Sony< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Corp._of_America_v._Universal_City_Studio… .>. Trying to regulate a technology that’s not yet ready for prime time may simply be premature for lawmakers and lobbyists alike. Lastly, there hasn’t been a truly high-profile allegation of infringement against or within the 3D printing community. Napster operated freely until Metallica complained <http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2000/04/35670>of finding a demo circulating on the user network, a discovery that spawned a cavalcade of other aggrieved musicians. The 3D printing community, animated as it is by an open source *esprit de corps*, simply hasn’t had a defining “Napster moment” yet. If the current 3D printing free-for-all sounds too good to last, it is. The community today is small and has avoided, either by chance or design, stepping on any really big toes (sorry, Ulrich). But to see why the hammer will fall eventually, consider the existing 3D object hosting sites. The risky business of hosting 3D design files Two models have emerged for websites that distribute and/or fabricate 3D designs. In the first model, users freely upload, improve upon, and distribute virtually any designs at all. This “open model” is typified by Thingiverse, where users share designs under Creative Commons licenses. The second type of website, which we might call a “money model,” commercializes aspects of the 3D printing process. Sites like Shapeways, where you can order custom designs for everything from jewelry<http://www.shapeways.com/themes/jewelry>to “impossible triangles,” have embraced this approach. Other “money model” sites will even sell 3D designs for highly distinctive designer items. These sites will no doubt proliferate as 3D printers become more common, and they will seek to capitalize on the legal uncertainty associated with distributing 3D design files for copyrighted and/or patented items. While each model embraces a different view of the future of 3D printing, all are likely to face some of the same fundamental legal challenges. Sites that distribute protected content, whether they do so out of (non-commercial) enthusiasm for the technology, or out of the desire for revenue, always make better targets for rightsholders than the users of those sites, so websites like Thingiverse and Shapeways are likely to be first in the crosshairs. While those two sites in particular have been well-behaved from an IP perspective, rightsholders looking for targets today needn’t go too far to find them. The open model It's unlikely that a legitimate rightsholder would refrain from suing Thingiverse simply because it advocates an open source, non-commercial approach to sharing 3D designs. But so far, the site has only acknowledged one IP-related complaint, that of Ulrich Schwanitz. This is curious, as Thingiverse’s collection boasts designs for things like companion cubes <http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1622> (*Portal*), and Darth Vader heads <http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1636> (*Star Wars*). Thingiverse also hosts design files for the hexagonal tiles<http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5727>and game pieces <http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5755> used in the popular Settlers of Catan< http://www.amazon.com/MayFair-Games-4102480-Settlers-Catan/dp/B000W7JWUA/ar… >. Distributing any of these files could put Thingiverse on the receiving end of a more forceful DMCA notice (or a cease & desist letter) than Schwanitz’s. After all, these are lucrative, million (and in the case of *Star Wars*, billion) dollar intellectual properties. So what gives? < http://static.arstechnica.com/03-25-2011/1141_zcorpprinter_650_0014_LOWRES.… > 3D printer from ZCorp We can only speculate why Valve and George Lucas haven’t done anything, but it’s probably because so few people have 3D printers and any takedown might be bad PR. No one appears to be mass producing companion cubes or Vader heads and selling them. There was considerable speculation< http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/02/thingiverse-3d-catan-pieces-legal-… >that the appearance of the Catan files on Thingiverse also raised IP concerns< http://www.publicknowledge.org/blog/3d-printing-settlers-catan-probably-not… >, but that was unlikely for a couple of reasons. First, board games are afforded only limited copyright protection—you can’t copyright the concept or ideas that animate the rules of a game. Moreover, the Catan pieces—basic, non-ornamental shapes (many of which have less detail than the replacement game pieces over at Thingiverse)—would likely enjoy only a modest degree of copyright protection. Second, it appears Settlers of Catan isn’t patented. Unlike copyright, which attaches to a creative work the moment it is fixed in a tangible medium, a patent issues only after applicants go through the lengthy and costly patent prosecution process before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. (Think of it this way: copyrights are made, but patents have to be earned.) But Valve, Lucas, and the publishers of the Settlers of Catan series may be taking some risk by letting these designs slide. While the 3D designs hosted on Thingiverse seem directed toward a very small hobbyist community, if companies fail to police their IP rights, what would stop an overseas manufacturer from downloading the designs, mass producing knockoffs, and selling them through Amazon, eBay, or another storefront entirely? Of course, the designs could be procured elsewhere, but courts often look unfavorably on parties that sit on their rights. The money models What if you could print any designer chair, iconic jewelry, or antique car parts for a fraction of the actual price? We already know that a purely philanthropic or non-profit purpose doesn’t usually shield a website from the weight of IP law enforcement. However, sites that overtly try to profit from or monetize others’ copyrighted works or patented inventions may more quickly attract attention, and lawsuits. Take for example, 3Docean, which allows users to buy designs for an Alessi tea set <http://3docean.net/item/alessi-il-conico-tea-set/124379> that retails for a few hundred dollars elsewhere<http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=115891 >. On another site, the3dstudio, users can download the model for a Jonathan Adler chair<http://www.the3dstudio.com/product_details.aspx?id_product=35892 >that retails for $700 at Neiman Marcus< http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod119360008&p… >—quite a steal. The downloadable Alessi tea set and Adler chair are far more troubling from a legal perspective than the Catan game pieces. They are highly distinctive, artistically expressive and entitled to copyright protection, and they may also have separate patent protection. In both instances, the websites offering the downloadable 3D files use the trade names of the original designer/manufacturer—Alessi and Jonathan Adler—also implicating trademark concerns. That said, it’s unclear how many sales have been made (and how many products have been printed -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Re: [P2P-F] <nettime> cyberpunk is dead
by Michel Bauwens 07 Apr '11

07 Apr '11

On Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 7:52 PM, Dante-Gabryell Monson < dante.monson(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: <el(a)riseup.net> > Date: Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 11:36 PM > Subject: <nettime> cyberpunk is dead > To: nettime <nettime-l(a)kein.org> > > > > notes on the development of the so-called social web and the role of > cyberpunks inside this process > > http://el.blogsport.de/2011/03/28/cyberpunk-is-dead/ > > The weakness of cyberpunk was its virtuality, being a complex of > imagery mostly used by writers in fiction, by bloggers in egomany and > by journalists in, well, „journalism“. What was missing, is a > cyberpunk realism, in the sense of an aesthetics that relates to and > occupies something else than the realms of literature. From this > viewpoint, real existing cyberpunk was the adaption of cyberpunk as a > shiny static representation for what was left of the dynamic of > electronic pioneers, the early computer hackers, and their process of > dissolving their avant-guard status in time and into mass. Comparable > to the punks that were the mass reproduction of the avantgarde > activists before them. The name of this historic forerunner of punk > referred to here, was the Situationist International, a 1950s and 60s > avantgarde group (Read their texts and Greil Marcus‘ history book). > Just like the situationists worked at the fissure between literature > and street, the early real-existing cyberpunks worked at the fissure > of literature and cyberspace. The cyberpunk literature served its > purpose to provide aesthetic naratives some time ago, and in the > ensuing process the real-existing groups that were trying to adapt > these clichés turned into clichés for others to adapt to. A virtual > movement. > > What constitutes the weakness of the aesthetic force, results in the > weakness as a material force: Cyberpunk made its way on the market of > despiritualized ideas, as the shopping good for the masses. Ever tried > to squat something in Secondlife, like offline punks would do? > Technically impossible. In the process to solve this dilemma, > cyberpunk had to give up integral parts to be able to work on social > topics without a realism and therefore without a political strategy. > Which led to a certain aligning with the social and economical facts > in the process of trying to gain a social impact through the cyberpunk > models. Wondering why Wikileaks doesn‘t have a wiki anymore? Because > cypherpunk (with ph in this case, refering to those fractions of > cyberpunk that focuse on encryption) was either mass movement or > political tactics of an avant-guard. In deciding to focus on political > manouvres, an open publishing model is not fitting anymore. Contrary > to this, CHAN-culture (imageboards, fast communication channels) and > the ANON-meme (crowd orientated cyber actions) try different ways in > waging real mass-based cyberwars, they reach this point by being more > punk again, punk as in: deviant subculture that parents are afraid of. > > Still inside this historic #fail of cyberpunk, there were hacker > groups and cyberpunk collectives not only representing the literary > images of cyberpunk, but trying to do cyberpunk realism. In the sense > of picking up the punk culture and porting it to the cyberspace. > Working with images and text in the new media, taking it back to the > roots of post-war pre-punk movements, creating free tools, cultural > gifts and mixed artworks, like all the minds from Guy Debord (and many > before), to John Lyndon, to Allen Ginsberg, to Wau Holland, had shown > the way. But working with punk attitude in the 90s and the Zeros > proofs to be a delicate business. Now we can see the last phase of > cyberpunk, the virus has spread, it has dissolved into one of its more > justified aims: the dissolution in non-elitist mass approaches. If you > search today for crazy netpunks, doing the mix with images, ideas and > slogans, fighting cyberwars against scientology and other creepy > institutions, you don‘t come to the avantgarde collectives, you go the > chans. > > These collectives had been reaching out to you, flooding you with > texts, movies, songs, images, a vast wave of media. Working all the > time under fake identities to give away anticommodities of a little > countercultureindustry. With that fulfilling the idealist idea of the > free and useful citizens. Only through the nature of these efforts > being collective and collaborative, this theater of autonomy could be > kept running, serving as a good example to all little self-managed > projects out there that with a little circle of friends you can reach > everything you can imagine. Nothing else though. So when the > participants got tired of the shooting in the dark acceleration these > collective products had taken, all the releases, all the > administration, all the fuzz, it went down the spiral of > individualization: moving to a aggregation of solo blogs, then moving > on to the short notes of twitter, a medium only to well fitting for > the self-advertisement. After the autonomous text production of the > last two decades, we face a shift to short notes and images. The DIY > music scene remains a bit unaffected by this, since the hope to become > a money earning musician is still a more powerful cultureindustrial > meme than the one of a writer actually getting paid. The recent > shifting from myspace to facebook shows although, that > everyone-is-an-artist wasn‘t a powerful enough idea. It had to be > self-representation, mini-blogging, star-cult, focus on images and > other spectacular media instead of text: The hyperindividualist > self-representation platform of facebook suited the masses best. > > For large parts, this big network is filled with representations of > static faces. Faces, that are amongst our most subliminal ways of > communicating, become our fastest and most plain way of making a > statement. Update profile picture, comment, like, like back, update > again. The collectivization of communication (lat. communicare = do > sth. together) failed, in fact this means the failure of mass art. > Todays market of representations means that we exchange images that > are valued by statements without consequence, statements whose only > value is the one of attention, something we have learned from the > advertising process, which has become the key process of culture. This > cultural praxis fails to find a history of the human faces. The faces > tried to break the boundaries of word and image, they were processes > of conscious creation of speaking images for the feelings that words > fail to describe. The times of boredom that everyone wanders now, > through images that don‘t form related stories anymore, are a result > of loosing our dream of creating non-static post-representative > playful expressions. To associate the fragile idea of friendship still > with the formalized and online media based networks of „friends“ is > the dramatic deception that covers this loss. It was the fragile > nature of friendship itself that was lost, that what made > communication between friends comfortable. The need to be near to > others and to be free on ones own at the same time, was dissolved into > the mode of being present to each other only through distance. The > tools of social media cover up the failure of the social itself. > Giving up the idea of the possibility of social relations in which one > can give each other the comfort of being together and granting all > freedom the same time, is a failure whose results may be not so easy > to cover. This is not a judgment about the idea of mass communication > per se, but about the idea and modes of social media networks. > > Coming back to the crews for once: the game of creating a strong > collective representation that immediately represents itself was > programmed to fail in a society that only uses representations to mark > the value of exchangeability. The punk image of a cybergang that > somehow evades the mainstream norms and holds up the, now > conservative, ideas of elite and underground was the joke that had to > choke itself. It was working with the idea of an everchanging > collective project that would remain the same all the time in order to > avoid to spoil the fans. This planned contradiction of the ultimate > hype was not scandalous anymore when the whole web turned to the > noncontradictive targeted creation of hypes. What these groups had > caricatured since decades was only about to become the online model of > creating static ideas that represent dynamic change. The cybergangs > were constructed never to end, because as a project, a channel, it was > not aiming for something and therefore it couldn‘t fail. Other media > collectives of today, opposed to this, want to start because they > realize that pictured dynamics has to be the key feature of a > successful industrial media product. > > So from this learning process we gain the perspective of boringness. > Being a progressive participant of cyberspace today is not about being > elite and surfing the most underground hubs. It’s about surfing on the > top of it all, on the big normal junkyard of human creation and > picking up the inspirations together. It’s also about reading a book > again, following an author’s thought through 400 pages instead of 140 > letters. And also in the same sense: doing a website again, a static > thing that waits for hundreds to come by, just like a book in the > library, instead of giving daily updates to attract some other > thousands that need their daily fix of info. Some books still are more > actual than the daily news reports (when these were still existing, > now the news must be updated all the time). And maybe the lost dreams > in these books need an actualisation through a website, instead of > just a quotation in the fast streams of actualities. It’s about > refusing the entertainment, it’s about finding enlightment in thought > processes themselves and not in what forms they have been given for > representation. It’s about picking up something dead and giving it > life instead of living the perpetual death of the bubble of statements. > > The non-conformism of today is a real challenge: To deal with > something beyond the instantaneous satisfaction of a pseudodynamic > static image. The progressive illustrations, thoughts, projects and > processes will need you to stumble over them, to search for them, to > look closely or even stare at them (not like you stared at the TV > since 50 years ago, at youtube since 5 years ago). It needs you to > stop worrying about the central hub, website or plattform that you > feel like home in. It needs you to stop worrying about any rss-feeds > that you only used to feed your identity out of angst in this process > of identification, representation and individualisation. Not to learn > even more exiting ways of being alone – you can easily find those in > the entertainment industry – but to pick up again the idea of > communication. Surf around, take off from time to time and play with > what and whom you might find. > > > > > # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission > # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, > # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets > # more info: http://mail.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l > # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime(a)kein.org > > -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Re: [P2P-F] P2P charity
by Michel Bauwens 07 Apr '11

07 Apr '11

if it doesn't exist yet, then it seems indeed like a missing piece of the puzzle and a good idea! On Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 7:39 AM, Bobby Handa <handa(a)adelphi.edu> wrote: > This would not be p2p lending but rather p2p charity. > > > > >>> Michel Bauwens 04/06/11 5:03 PM >>> > > Hi Bobby, > > How does this project differ from say Kiva? > > Michel > > On Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 3:55 AM, Bobby Handa <HANDA(a)adelphi.edu> wrote: > >> My idea is very similar to prosper.com but it would be charitable >> contributions. >> >> People register as "donors" and "recipients" >> Recipients - Individuals or families that are in need due to unforseen >> hardships. >> Donors - Individuals or organizations who want to help those in need. >> >> Recipients create a profile w/ pictures and an explanation of what >> happened and indicate what they need. $5000 for example because their car >> broke down. >> Donors can browse or search profiles. Donors pick 3 specific profiles that >> they want to contribute to and the amount they want to contribute. I may be >> a donor who wants to contribute $100. I pick 3 profiles and the first >> profile to get enough people to contribute gets the donation. >> >> This is the basic idea. >> >> Let me know what you think. >> >> Thanks. >> Bobby >> >> >> >> >>> Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004(a)gmail.com> 4/6/11 4:48 PM >>> >> >> Hi Bobby, >> >> we don't have much operational means, but as a set of online media and a >> community, we can certainly help with publicising your initiative, getting >> you more contacts and perhaps even volunteers and collaborators, >> >> don't hesitate to tell me (us) more and I can already share with our list, >> >> Michel >> >> On Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 1:50 AM, Bobby Handa <HANDA(a)adelphi.edu> wrote: >> >>> Hello Michel, >>> I have recently been thinking of p2p charity and am confident that I >>> may have some very good ideas on how to implement such a system. >>> I've been speaking w/ some people who might be willing to help me out and >>> will soon be speaking w/ an attorney to learn about establishing a >>> non-profit. >>> I was wondering if your organization would be available to help me >>> implement my idea. >>> Thanks, >>> Manish (Bobby) Handa >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net >> >> Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: >> http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation >> >> Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; >> http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens >> >> >> >> >> >> > > > -- > P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net > > Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: > http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation > > Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; > http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens > > > > > > -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: Harnessing the power of failure
by Michel Bauwens 07 Apr '11

07 Apr '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Michelle Smith <admin(a)triarchypress.com> Date: Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 8:49 PM Subject: Harnessing the power of failure To: michelsub2004(a)gmail.com Dear Michel Last month, our bulletin quoted from one of our publications, *Ten Things To Do In A Conceptual Emergency*: *It is possible to face up to challenge and grow with and through it. Changed circumstances can be seized as opportunities for creative engagement and, rather than generating resistance, generate a step change in learning and growth.* This philosophy of looking for opportunities within challenges also underpins our new book, *The Failure Files*. Too often, the word ‘failure’ signals an end point or a final judgement. We are afraid that admitting to mistakes would be to admit to failure in general. This happens in our personal lives, but also to figures in public life, to workers in organisations and to governments (just think of the inconsistencies inherent in the Prime Minister’s statement that the banks are ‘too big to fail’). *How can we – as individuals, groups and societies – acknowledge our mistakes, and turn the challenges of failure into a process of learning, growth and, ultimately, success?* *The Failure Files *is a series of essays that grew out of an RSA project formed in 2009 with the aim of providing a platform from which to explore the power of failure. The book and the project bring together leaders from very different areas of expertise to discuss how the concept of failure operates on many levels. They remind us how important failure is for achievement, and particularly for creativity, innovation and building adaptive and sustainable systems. As David Hillson, the book’s editor and leading thinker/practitioner in risk management, writes: *We must have a healthy respect for failure, in the same way we might have for other powerful forces of nature. And, as with those forces, we should be willing to harness that power to achieve more for society.* To read more about *The Failure Files*, its contents, the authors and their areas of expertise, visit *the book’s page on our website<http://www.triarchypress.com/pages/The-Failure-Files.htm> * SPECIAL OFFER ~ A FURTHER 25% DISCOUNT ON ALL TITLES ~ ENTER CODE NL25 AT THE TRIARCHY PRESS CHECKOUT ~ The *Red Stripe* innovation project at *The Economist *was perceived by many at the time as a failure, at least in its task to produce a workable new web-based product. However, the insights afforded by the project into teamwork, innovation, customer internet usage, marketing etc. are invaluable for companies and institutions of all types and sizes. Our colleague Andrew Carey was invited to watch the process unfold, and his observations were later published in the book *Inside Project Red Stripe*. Considering failure from a new perspective, what is most striking about the book is Andrew's implicit recognition that the mistakes, misjudgements and errors the project team made along the way were, in many ways, the project's strongest assets. The book is loosely structured, as a series of essays or themed diary entries, but what provides its focus are the lists of 'Dilemmas' that appear at the end of most sections. Asking reflective and poignant questions, sometimes making humorous observations, often relating specific problems to wider themes, what are these dilemmas but vital learning opportunities? And wouldn't the real failure be to fail to revisit them? Read more about Project Red Stripe here<http://www.triarchypress.co.uk/pages/book15.htm> ------------------------------- *About Triarchy Press* Triarchy Press <http://www.triarchypress.co.uk/pages/triarchy.htm> is an independent publisher of books and pamphlets, focusing on organisations, how they work and the way we work in them. admin(a)triarchypress.com ~ www.triarchypress.com <http://www.triarchypress.com/pages/The-Failure-Files.htm> *About the RSA and its 'Glory of Failure' project* When the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) was established over 250 years ago it was conceived as 'a cradle of enlightenment thinking'. Today the RSA is powerful force for social progress, committed to removing the barriers to that progress. What could be a larger barrier than a fear of failure? The Glory of Failure project started with a hypothesis: Failure, at its heart, is a personal thing. By shining light on the stories of those people who have experienced failure and emerged stronger for that experience, we might, in our own small way, be able to chip away at our collective fear of failure. <http://www.triarchypress.co.uk/pages/book15.htm> *Andrew Carey *has spent his working life in publishing, and the last five years with us at Triarchy. He edits, promotes and writes books that approach the subject of organisational learning from new, interesting and sometimes quirky perspectives. In addition to Project Red Stripe, he co-authored *Systems Thinking for Curious Managers *with Russ Ackoff. This message was sent to michelsub2004(a)gmail.com from: Triarchy Press | Station Offices | Axminster, Devon EX13 5PF, United Kingdom Email Marketing by [image: iContact - Try It Free!]<http://www.icontact.com/a.pl/144186> Manage Your Subscription <http://app.icontact.com/icp/mmail-mprofile.pl?r=11844980&l=8220&s=CH3A&m=55…> -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Global Open Access Portal: Call for consultants]
by Michel Bauwens 07 Apr '11

07 Apr '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Frédéric Sultan <fredericsultan(a)gmail.com> Date: 2011/4/7 Subject: [Commoning] [Fwd: [APC Forum] Global Open Access Portal: Call for consultants] UNESCO, with the support of Colombia, Norway and United States of America, is developing a portal on Open Access (OA) to present a high-level snapshot of the state of OA around the world. Entitled Global Open Access Portal (GOAP), the tool is supposed to be the first destination for users seeking information on OA. More here : http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=31316&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECT… ======================================= APC Forum is a meeting place for the APC community - people and institutions who are or have been involved in collaboration with APC, and share the APC vision - a world in which all people have easy, equal and affordable access to the creative potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve their lives and create more democratic and egalitarian societies. _______________________________________________ apc.forum mailing list apc.forum(a)lists.apc.org http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/apc.forum _______________________________________________ Commoning mailing list Commoning(a)lists.wissensallmende.de http://lists.wissensallmende.de/mailman/listinfo/commoning -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: Poor Richard commented on p2p energy
by Michel Bauwens 07 Apr '11

07 Apr '11

fyi ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Facebook <update+pjiidwm(a)facebookmail.com> Date: Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 5:02 PM Subject: Poor Richard commented on your link. To: Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004(a)gmail.com> facebook<http://www.facebook.com/n/?mbauwens%2Fposts%2F153675748028376&mid=40788f9G1…> Hi Michel, Poor Richard commented on your link. Poor wrote: "I added the following to the discussion page of the 2p2 energy wiki page: In the US, much of the electric grid is municipally owned, community owned (as in "rural electric co-operatives"), publicly licensed, and/or runs over public rights of way. This provides a great deal of public-interest policy leverage over the existing grid. In the US, I believe the single most important policy for promoting p2p energy is already in place in many areas--that is "net metering" or "reverse metering". Net metering allows any peer producer to put surplus energy onto the grid. In many cases such locally peer-produced energy, reverse-metered onto the grid, is credited at a subsidized rate above the normal consumer rate for electricity. Such net metering policies need to be extended everywhere throughout the US. Meanwhile, in areas where net metering is already in place, I propose that an additional policy initiative be attempted. This would entail allowing each peer-producer and consumer the option to negotiate rates among themselves. Some peer-producers might charge rates higher than the "retail" consumer rate. In this case such producers would operate much like existing "green power" producers. In other cases producers might sell their surplus to preferred consumers (say family-related households or eco-village neighbors) at a discounted rate. Such a practice could be implemented over the existing grid with little more administrative effort than existing "green power" programs require. As parts of the existing grid are gradually updated and upgraded, it should be possible to build in direct p2p balancing, metering, and billing capability so that no institutional "middleman" is required for adding or withdrawing amounts of energy that are below some threshold adequate to prevent outages or overloads. It seems to me that these few simple measures would accomplish most of the objectives discussed in the p2p energy wiki page and similar measures should be possible in most places." See the comment thread<http://www.facebook.com/n/?mbauwens%2Fposts%2F153675748028376&mid=40788f9G1…> Reply to this email to comment on this link. Thanks, The Facebook Team See Comment<http://www.facebook.com/n/?mbauwens%2Fposts%2F153675748028376&mid=40788f9G1…>The message was sent to michelsub2004(a)gmail.com. If you don't want to receive these emails from Facebook in the future or have your email address used for friend suggestions, you can unsubscribe<http://www.facebook.com/o.php?k=c05bf5&u=528245547&mid=40788f9G1f7c632bGe3d…>. Facebook, Inc. P.O. Box 10005, Palo Alto, CA 94303 -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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OT? Colombia’s Bill to deter copyright infringement on the Internet must undergo public scrutiny
by carolina botero 07 Apr '11

07 Apr '11

The Bill to regulate ISP liability in Colombia started with the left foot since it was presented by the governtment to the Congress without any public scrtiny and with a very narrow Copyright protection view http://karisma.org.co/?p=667 Please circulate!! We need to address Congress attention now and some civil society pressure might help! carolina -- http://www.karisma.org.co/carobotero http://twitter.com/carobotero http://identi.ca/carobotero/ http://www.equinoxio.org

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ignored ip report
by Michel Bauwens 07 Apr '11

07 Apr '11

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110329/17494713684/why-hasnt-report-debu… Hi Tom, I wonder if you could comment on this for our blog? Michel -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Re: [P2P-F] P2P charity
by Michel Bauwens 06 Apr '11

06 Apr '11

Hi Bobby, How does this project differ from say Kiva? Michel On Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 3:55 AM, Bobby Handa <HANDA(a)adelphi.edu> wrote: > My idea is very similar to prosper.com but it would be charitable > contributions. > > People register as "donors" and "recipients" > Recipients - Individuals or families that are in need due to unforseen > hardships. > Donors - Individuals or organizations who want to help those in need. > > Recipients create a profile w/ pictures and an explanation of what happened > and indicate what they need. $5000 for example because their car broke down. > Donors can browse or search profiles. Donors pick 3 specific profiles that > they want to contribute to and the amount they want to contribute. I may be > a donor who wants to contribute $100. I pick 3 profiles and the first > profile to get enough people to contribute gets the donation. > > This is the basic idea. > > Let me know what you think. > > Thanks. > Bobby > > > > >>> Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004(a)gmail.com> 4/6/11 4:48 PM >>> > > Hi Bobby, > > we don't have much operational means, but as a set of online media and a > community, we can certainly help with publicising your initiative, getting > you more contacts and perhaps even volunteers and collaborators, > > don't hesitate to tell me (us) more and I can already share with our list, > > Michel > > On Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 1:50 AM, Bobby Handa <HANDA(a)adelphi.edu> wrote: > >> Hello Michel, >> I have recently been thinking of p2p charity and am confident that I may >> have some very good ideas on how to implement such a system. >> I've been speaking w/ some people who might be willing to help me out and >> will soon be speaking w/ an attorney to learn about establishing a >> non-profit. >> I was wondering if your organization would be available to help me >> implement my idea. >> Thanks, >> Manish (Bobby) Handa >> > > > > -- > P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net > > Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: > http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation > > Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; > http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens > > > > > > -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Re: [P2P-F] Alternative Exchange Systems in Contemporary Greece
by Michel Bauwens 06 Apr '11

06 Apr '11

thanks for this contribution Vasilis! On Tue, Apr 5, 2011 at 3:53 PM, Vasilis Kostakis <kostakis.b(a)gmail.com>wrote: > *Post scheduled for the 15th of April:* > > Recently, Michel brought to my attention Irene Sotiropoulou's paper titled > "Alternative Exchange Systems in Contemporary Greece" published at IJCCR<http://www.ijccr.net/IJCCR/2011_%2815%29.html>(freely available). > > This report distinguishes several grassroots initiatives in parallel > currencies, which are not supported by any authority; exchange/barter > networks; free bazaars; and free networks that have been emerging in Greece > during the last five years. > > The Athens Timebank, established in 2006 and run by the Greek branch of the > European Network of Woman <http://www.enow.gr/196/index.aspx>, is a form > of parallel currency that follows the general structure of time banks, i.e. > “a ‘network’ of individuals who are offering services to other members of > the group. In reward, the member gains ‘time’ so that he/she is able to ask > for the other members’ services”. (27) Sotiropoulou outlines: “The value of > the services is accounted in time hours. The transactions and the time hours > credited and debited for each participant are recorded in a computer with > software created by a volunteer”. (27) > > Another parallel currency is the Ovolos scheme <http://www.ovolos.gr/> run > in Patras and Thessaloniki since 2009, and based on the idea that “the > members can use the Ovolos currency (which is virtual, e.g. on the main > computer system and on each member’s digital smart card) instead of euro > currency for their transactions with the members”. (28) It would be > interesting to highlight that Ovolos currency, according to Sotiropoulou, is > used by several people who do not live or work in the two aforementioned > Greek cities: “This has created a peculiar situation, where locality of > transactions is not linked necessarily to the ‘base cities’. The Ovolos > organisers see this as an advantage, which will make Ovolos an online > technology platform available to all people living in the country, enabling > them to experiment”. (28) > > In addition, the Local Alternative Unit based in Volos city as well as the > Money Back System, which is a hybrid scheme that combines exchange trade but > also monetary elements and is based in Crete and Dodecanese, are two other > interesting cases of parallel currency under development. > > Except for parallel currencies, Sotiropoulou refers to various exchange > networks "either of general nature or specialised in one sector of an > activity". (30) In her account, Peliti<http://www.peliti.gr/pages_eng/peliti_eng.htm>comes to the fore, which was founded in 2007, covers both rural and urban > areas and its structure consists of two separate but interrelated networks: > a network for exchanging goods and services, and another one that enables > people "to exchange or just find for free traditional varieties of plants > (either fruit or decorative trees, vegetables, flowers etc) and to acquire > (at the cost of breeding only) several traditional species of domestic > animals." (30) > > Further, the free exchange bazaars are places where people bring things to > exchange or give away them. Since 2009, as Sotiropoulou mentions, first > free exchange bazaars' dispersion, volume and regularity have greatly > increased not only in Athens, where the Sporos cooperative<http://sporos.org/>-the initiator of such projects- is based, but in several other cities. > > Moreover, the free networks, in that context, are online platforms which, > more or less, work as a free exchange online bazaars: the Charise-to > platform <http://www.xariseto.gr/>, the Dose-Pare initiative<http://dwsepare.ning.com/>or the > Greek network of Freecycle <http://freecycle.wikispaces.com/freecycle_gr>are only some projects that exemplify this exchange pattern of free online > networks. > > ------A last word------ > > Examining the Argentine economic crisis (1999-2003) and the alternative > exchange models that emerged and the role they played at that time, it could > be argued that although the alternative exchange systems seem, for the > moment, to have a peripheral, as an economic trend, role, after a possible > Greek bankruptcy they will arguably come to the fore. > > > On 3 April 2011 09:59, Vasilis Kostakis <kostakis.b(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> ok! >> >> >> On 3 April 2011 09:54, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> when you click on posts, you see the dates on the right side, any date >>> with less than 4 items is okay, I would say from april 15 on up, >>> >>> Michel >>> >>> >>> On Sun, Apr 3, 2011 at 1:47 PM, Vasilis Kostakis <kostakis.b(a)gmail.com>wrote: >>> >>>> Michlel, if you have a suggestion on the postdating, please do tell me! >>>> >>>> >>>> On 3 April 2011 09:46, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>>> thanks Vasilis, and thanks for looking at appropriate postdating >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Sun, Apr 3, 2011 at 1:43 PM, Vasilis Kostakis < >>>>> kostakis.b(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Will do it this week! >>>>>> >>>>>> v. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On 2 April 2011 14:25, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004(a)gmail.com>wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Hi Vasilis, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> could you present this to our blog?, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> see http://www.ijccr.net/IJCCR/2011_%2815%29.html >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Alternative Exchange Systems in Contemporary Greece >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Irene Sotiropoulou D 27-31 >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> This paper is a brief report of several schemes that exist today, >>>>>>> September 2010, in Greece and permit their members to perform transactions >>>>>>> without any official currency. The report covers parallel currency schemes, >>>>>>> exchange networks and several related initiatives that could be >>>>>>> characterised as alternative exchange or non-mainstream modes of economic >>>>>>> activity. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - >>>>>>> http://blog.p2pfoundation.net >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: >>>>>>> http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; >>>>>>> http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> http://kostakis.org/ >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - >>>>> http://blog.p2pfoundation.net >>>>> >>>>> Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: >>>>> http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation >>>>> >>>>> Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; >>>>> http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> http://kostakis.org/ >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - >>> http://blog.p2pfoundation.net >>> >>> Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: >>> http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation >>> >>> Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; >>> http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> http://kostakis.org/ >> >> > > > -- > http://kostakis.org/ > > -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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