Re: [Softwarepatents] [Patents] TODAY/URGENT: Stop IETF Enactment of Patented Standard for TLS

["Ivan F. Villanueva B." <ivan@ffii.org>]

El Sat, Feb 14, 2009 11:03:59AM +0100, Thomas Warwaris escribió:
> On Thu, 2009-02-12 at 11:56 +0100, Jonas Maebe wrote:
> > 
> > Mail bombing campaigns are seldom a good idea.
> 
> For campaigners, there is more to learn from that "how not to do it"
> example. It is about building "us" and "them".
> 
> Was this FSF campain ever intended to change any policy? What could have
> been the plan? The IETF reactions intended?
> Or was it about using IETF to create two illusions for the FSF:
> 
> 1.) The illusion that there is an enemy.
> That is a very common illusion used for defining the self image of
> groups and individuals.
> 2.) The illusion of "having done something".
> 
> But this example is more, because it illustrates so clearly how they
> were able to get what they ordered from IETF:
> 
> Step one: They define the IETF as "them" - it does not matter that such
> a "them" really exists, because it will exist after.
> 
> Step two: Then they call for action to communicate (read: fight) with
> "them".
> 
> Step three: The reactions they get, are used to prove the illusion of
> "them". Again: It does not matter what the reactions really are about.
> 
> But on the other end of the communication, the FSF has now built up a
> clear anti-FSF position along (working) members of the IETF.
> 
> Because they gave them a "us" and "them (spammers)".
> So by now the FSF has got, what it is really happy about: "them"?
> 
> Did i miss something?

I think your point of view is very good but too abstract. There were some 
people from FSFE very
upset who could only proposed to spam IETF, and some members of IETF found it 
very stupid and
useless.

If the action of some people from FSFE has awaken the importance of IPR 
policy within members of the
IETF and others, is something we cannot judge because lack of statistical 
data.

I would guess that for most people within the IETF, the FSFE looks now 
stupid, but they also are
going to think more about IPR; and for many external people the IETF is now 
seen more than before as
an organisation which issues bad standards.

And this collateral effects of any activist action is at least as important 
as what the action
allegedly wanted to achieve.

Having said that, of course it would be better if they would collaborate 
together in working out
better standards.

-- 
Iván F. Villanueva B.
Initiator http://StopSoftwarePatents.eu
Board member of
    FFII e.V.   http://www.ffii.org
Jabber: ivan@ogai.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ogai
GSM: +49 160 23 160 13