Project Gutenberg blocks access from Germany

Post by jhasse » Sat, Mar 03, 2018, 11:48 PM UTC

simonh wrote: post #153

Findus23 wrote: post #97

I’m really for open access to old books, but for playing devils advocate I can see the courts point: International websites have to respect local laws. After all those are the only ones I can directly influence (by voting, etc.) If we’d start to ignore this (even if it is in my advantage in this case), this means I have no influence any more on how companies are allowed to interact with me (which shouldn’t be the cas…

What is it that distinguishes a web site from an international web site? Do you feel that laws on web site content passed in China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran or Vietnam should apply to web sites created or operated by you or posts made by you on line? Would you expect yourself and other global posters and journalists to be bound, for example, by Thailand’s Lese Majeste laws on criticism or comment related to their k…

Post by hmage » Sat, Mar 03, 2018, 11:50 PM UTC

swimfar wrote: post #161

Xylakant wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> law that extends the copyright length to 2100 years, creating court orders for the 1 billion people who own a Bible or other old text without paying license fees, and collecting all the money in the world? Generally speaking: Nothing. Practically speaking: Impossibility to enforce unless you’re a major power. Look how american laws often get enforced world wide while North Korean law doesn’t practically matter.

This is a sincere question. What American laws are enforced outside the US?

Post by toyg » Sat, Mar 03, 2018, 11:52 PM UTC

specializeded wrote: post #158

zanny wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does the EU still have the same gross and absurd copyright terms and laws the US does? It fights US companies like Google on privacy and information security grounds, but seems to follow lockstep with the US on completely irrational copyright policy like "75 years after the author dies, only then can anyone else reproduce this work". The US has it because its government is coopted by big media like Disney, MPAA,…

Perhaps the European interests fighting copyright regulation are stronger than the ones that fought privacy regulation. See: diesel

Post by jhasse » Sat, Mar 03, 2018, 11:54 PM UTC

thesimon wrote: post #47

freech wrote: post #25

> mainly because the www.gutenberg.org site has some content in the German language. That's an extraordinary theory of international law. By that logic Austria and Namibia also have jurisdiction.

It's false though. The court says German law applies because German users can access the site. German language is only briefly mentioned, but not the argument of the court.

Post by pgtan » Sat, Mar 03, 2018, 11:57 PM UTC

jhasse wrote: post #165

robjwells wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> for playing devils advocate I can see the courts point: International websites have to respect local laws I think this is an untenable position as it would mean that any website, published from any country, hosted on servers in any country, would have to abide by the laws of the world’s 193 countries. Project Gutenberg’s argument is that they are only a US concern — everyone involved officially is in the US, and th…

> I think this is an untenable position as it would mean that any website, published from any country, hosted on servers in any country, would have to abide by the laws of the world’s 193 countries. No. If you read the court order, they are arguing, that gutenberg.org is targeted at Germans. There are a few reason: 1. there's a link on the front page to view the site in German 2. there's a similar German project: htt…