Re: Where is the RFC editor?

["Dick St.Peters" <stpeters at NetHeaven.com>]

Tim Salo writes:

> > From: "Dick St.Peters" <stpeters at NetHeaven.com>
> > Subject: Re: Where is the RFC editor? 
> > 	[...]
> > One way, perhaps the only way, to *assure* that RFCs etc. are not
> > copyrighted by default is to have them funded by the USG.
> 
> Wrong.
> 
> If they are _written_ by the U.S. Government, they are not copyright
> at inception.
> 
> However, if they are _funded_ by the U.S. Government, the copyright
> is owned by the contractor which writes the RFC, (i.e., the organization
> that receives funding from the U.S. Goverment).

Ok, so I don't get the neat irony of having the accused malevolence of
the USG turn into the only possible protection.  However, it still
stands that the USG is, from a copyright POV, as benign a source of
funding as there is.

I'm not very eager to see any government too involved in the
Internet's evolution going forward.  However, I'm tired of assertions
that the USG stands out among governments as a particular danger.

> I think the appropriate FAR clauses are below. Note the motivation 
> identified in the first sentence of (i).
 ...
> (i) In order to enhance the transfer or dissemination of information produced
> at Government expense, contractors are normally authorized, without prior
> approval of the contracting officer, to establish claim to copyright
> subsisting in technical or scientific articles based on or containing
> data first produced in the performance of work under a contract containing
> the clause at 52.227-14, Rights in Data--General and published in
> academic, technical or professional journals, symposia proceedings and
> similar works. ...

Journals generally require a transfer of copyright to the journal.
USG-funded R&D people can do this without asking, so they can
publish.

--
Dick St.Peters, stpeters at NetHeaven.com 
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