From e20a6e74ef9f34ca117131d7c3ec731c057c283c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Neale Pickett Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2012 22:57:01 -0600 Subject: [PATCH] Derby copyright essay --- papers/derby-copyright.mdwn | 147 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ papers/derby-software.mdwn | 20 +++++ papers/index.mdwn | 16 +++- 3 files changed, 181 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) create mode 100644 papers/derby-copyright.mdwn diff --git a/papers/derby-copyright.mdwn b/papers/derby-copyright.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8943042 --- /dev/null +++ b/papers/derby-copyright.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,147 @@ +Title: Copyright Advice for Small Leagues + +There's enough in common that hacking sometimes feels like derby's big +brother, and watching derby struggle with copyright law makes me want +to chime in with some hard-learned advice that computer nerds worked +through in the 90s. + +A modern derby bout requires people from all different walks of life +to come together, and so this sport--which began +with a strong punk "skater-run" ethic--has had to bring in creative type +from all sorts of different cultures which don't necessarily share the +same values. This is causing friction, but I think I know +how to solve it: stick to derby's roots and insist on volunteer work, +even if the professional stuff would look nicer. + + +Some Background on Copyright +---------------------------- + +In most parts of the world, when you create something--like a logo, +some software, a blog post, or a web page--you get the right to decide +who is allowed to copy it: the copyright. In order to use someone +else's work, be it on its own or as a part of your own work, +you need their permission. Generally speaking, authors will pick one +or both of the following two options: + +1. Grant permission if you pay money + +2. Grant permission if you agree to certain terms, usually some + combination of: + + * Give them credit for their work + * Not make money from anything your work is in + * Don't prevent anyone from copying/sharing your work + +This has resulted in an observable cultural split. On one hand, +you have a [market ecomony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_economy), +in which using someone's work without paying them is bad, +often called "piracy". On the other hand, you +have a [gift economy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_economy), +in which using someone's work is high praise, and creates a +debt to humanity that can only be repayed by +[paying it forward](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_It_Forward). + + +How This Pertains to Roller Derby +------------------------------------- + +To avoid drama, your league needs to be aware of copyright law, +and who is reserving which rights on what works. + +A few years ago, apparently ASCAP was aggressively bullying Roller +Derby leagues to pay a "performance fee" for having music at their +bouts. This is shady for a lot of different reasons, none of which +merit getting into in this article, but it serves as an excellent +example of why leagues need to be fully aware of what works they're +using and what the terms are for using those works. (In a little +while, I'll be offering a bittorrent download of a double-header's +worth of Creative Commons music for leagues to use, allowing you to +cheerfully tell ASCAP to get bent.) + +Maybe your graphic artist is a "market economy" type of gal, and your +computer nerd is a "gift ecomony" guy. The graphic artist is going to +want tangible payment, but the nerd is going to be happy to be doing +something useful. What happens when the nerd finds out you've been +giving money to the artist for the time she's spent on art, but he +hasn't been getting a dime for his hours? Or what if your league +thought that the donations from both the nerd and artist were given +freely and without expectations? The answer to both questions is the +same: butthurt and drama. + +At this point I need to reveal that I am a "gift economy" thinker. +People interested in my creds just need to visit [my +homepage](http://woozle.org/~neale/) or do a web search on my name to +see my involvement in free culture. Suffice it to say that I'm +passionate about this stuff. Derby's do-it-yourself ethic was a +very comfortable thing for me to get involved with. + + +What should you do about this? +------------------------------ + +Small town leagues have no business entering into agreements with any +artists unless the terms of that agreement are spelled out clearly in +advance. You need to be up front with all of your artists that you +have no money and expect them to volunteer their time and skill for +the love of the game and the gals who play it. + +Acknowledge that your league is a gift economy. Embrace it! You have +nothing to give in return other than the community of your league, and +you expect anyone entering that community not to start making demands. +Everyone should feel a profound debt to everyone else who helps out. +Beer should be bought. Invitations to parties should be given. But +you need your dues--and ticket sales, if you have those--to pay for +things you can't get from volunteers, like insurance, paint, photocopies, and +tape. + +[Look what can happen](http://www.derbyinfocus.com/2012/08/on-value-of-derby-photos.html) +when you get a market economy person in a gift economy situation. He's +laying out his argument very reasonably, because there's nothing +unreasonable about market economies. But he's missing the point that +(most) leagues are gift economies. Read between the lines here: +those leagues are losing their photographer because, suddenly, he's +demanding payment or increased gratitude. I'll bet those leagues had +a couple really long drawn-out meetings about this: do the other +volunteers feel this way? Are we not appreciating our volunteers +enough? Butthurt! Drama! + +And payment is a Pandora's box. As a gift economy guy living in a +market economy country, I can tell you that if my league decided to +start paying certain volunteers, I would probably adjust my view of +the relationship, and get hacked off that I wasn't valued enough as an +official, DJ, photographer, and software developer, to be paid too. +Or, if I knew the full situation, I'd think that photographer was +being a douchebag by extorting the poor league. Butthurt! Drama! + +Sure, the presentation is going to suffer when you get out-of-focus or +poorly-framed photos, amateurish artwork, and web sites that look like +Geocities in 1997. But the skater-run, non-professional feel of small +town derby is one of its distinguishing characteristics, and makes +fans feel connected to the team. You want skaters who are doing it +for the love of the game, why not ask the same of your other +volunteers? + +You might want create a "volunteer policy" that you share with everyone. +Here's a start, feel free to use this or base something new off it: + +> Thank you for offering to help with our league! Because we have +> a tight budget, we can't afford to spend money on anything that can +> be done by volunteers, even if the quality is less than professional. +> We rely heavily on our volunteers in order to bring the sport to our +> fans, and we are truly grateful to everyone who helps us do so! + + +Conclusion +---------- + +People have different ideas about how they want their work to be used. +Some want to be paid. Some just want credit. Still others want to +make sure nobody makes money. Small town leagues usually don't have +the money to pay anybody, so to avoid hurt feelings later on, you need +to be very clear about this right from the start. + +Understand that some folks are going to say you're being unreasonable. +But it's better to get a little of this early on, than to deal with the +big drama that will crop up later once it's clear to everybody what +everybody else expects. diff --git a/papers/derby-software.mdwn b/papers/derby-software.mdwn index 74895ba..15f06ae 100644 --- a/papers/derby-software.mdwn +++ b/papers/derby-software.mdwn @@ -1,5 +1,25 @@ Title: Software in Roller Derby +You don't need technology to run a derby bout. It can make things +a little easier on the NSOs. Fans might appreciate rinxter +online updates. But the focus needs to be on the game, not your +awesome technological infrastructure. + +Main points: + +* Shit breaks. Complicated shit breaks more, and needs bigger + nerds to fix it. Stay simple, and you can recover quicker. + +* Low-tech solutions are cheaper, more durable, and easier to + repair or replace. + +* Integrated solutions are awesome right up until the point + when they fail. A failing scoreboard can be fixed while + the bout continues. Tie your official clock into that system, + and now failure means nobody plays derby. + + + Possibly because Roller Derby is full of skaters who are huge nerds, and skater spouses who are huge nerds, there is a lot more software available than you'd see in any other amateur sport. Leagues may feel diff --git a/papers/index.mdwn b/papers/index.mdwn index ab8fc81..5744d00 100644 --- a/papers/index.mdwn +++ b/papers/index.mdwn @@ -4,12 +4,24 @@ These are papers I have written. Most of them were written to explain a concept to someone on woozle. Hopefully other people will find them useful, too. +Roller Derby Stuff +------------------ + * [Running Audio/Visual for a Roller Derby Bout](derby-av.html) * [Dirtbags DJ Setup](dj.html) -* [How to make the game of Monopoly suck less](monopoly.html) +* [Copyright Advice for Small Leagues](derby-copyright.html) + +Computer Nerd Stuff +------------------- + * [Reply-To Munging Still Considered Harmful](reply-to-still-harmful.html) -* [A Call for the Complete Elimination of Joke Haiku Production on the Internet](joke-haiku.html) by Paul H. Henry * [Converting .docx files to text using unzip and sed](docx.html) * [Introduction to TCP Sockets](sockets.html) * [3-Minute HTML Tutorial](html-tutorial.html) * [How DNS Works](DNS.html) + +Everything Else +--------------- + +* [How to make the game of Monopoly suck less](monopoly.html) +* [A Call for the Complete Elimination of Joke Haiku Production on the Internet](joke-haiku.html) by Paul H. Henry