[fsfc-discuss] Resurrecting the idea of creating FSF Canada?

[Russell McOrmond]

  I have been hosting placeholder sites at http://fsf.ca and
http://fsfc.ca/ with the hope that interested people would follow the link
to this mailing list and indicate their interest.  Things have been very
quiet on this list, but I have received personal email messages suggesting 
that there is interest.

  Back in the fall of 2000 two people, Wolfgang Sourdeau and John
Loukidelis (a lawyer), filed paperwork with the CCRA to see if it would be
possible to create an organization that could have charity status.  When
the CCRA denied this application, much of the steam behind creating FSFC
went with it.


  While this may be an understatement, much has happened in the last 4
years.  I believe the movements behind us are far more visible.  Last 
Thursday I attended the launch of iCommons Canada, and the location for 
the party was beyond packed.   Many of the people there were lawyers and 
government bureaucrats, so this is no longer a concept only familiar to 
technical people.


  Is it time to try again?  Are there people who would be willing to
dedicate energy to push this forward?


  Here are some related groups and organizations who may be able to help.

  http://www.cippic.ca/

  - CIPPIC is a group of Lawyers and law students who are doing a number
of projects relating to technology law.  You will notice that if you go to
http://creativecommons.ca/ that this is hosted on their site.


  http://www.goslingcommunity.org/
  - This is a community of practice that joins people from various sectors
to try to "Get Open Source Logic INto Governments".  This group will be
very helpful to have other public servants talking to public servants at
CCRA to educate them on Free Software if the people doing the examination
are not yet familiar.


  http://www.digital-copyright.ca/
  - This is a group of citizens focusing on PCT (Patent, Copyright,
Trademark) policy issues.  Many of these people are FLOSS advocates, and
would be able to help get things going. 

Note: Much of my own time is spent on related technology law reform,
working to ensure that creating and using FLOSS is a protected right.  We
need to push to eradicate software patents and interface copyright, with
so-called "anti-circumvention" laws often being a back-door to interface
copyright.


  http://www.ramshorn.ca/PPD/
  - This Forum on Privatization and the Public Domain is in the 
process of forming.  I believe the current information is that funding 
will come via the Sage Centre which allows donations to be tax deductible 
both in Canada and in the USA.

-- 
 Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/> 
 Get Creative: iCommons Canada Launch Party : September 30, 2004
 http://digital-copyright.ca/node/view/461  Creative Commons, 
 Open Access, Free/Libre and Open Source Software: In Canada, Eh!