[technest] open letter to JSTOR in memoriam of Aaron Swartz

[Fee Plumley]

This email is FAO anyone who has been following the tragic suicide of Aaron
Swartz (young advocate of open internet who helped create RSS, was an early
technical code developer for Creative Commons licences & co-founder of
reddit... amongst other things)...

While it cannot totally be attributed to it, there can be little doubt that
pressure from a serious copyright case had some bearing on his state of
mind. Whatever your view on copyright law, it certainly shouldn't be
responsible for a person's untimely death.

JSTOR (a digital academic library and the alleged victim) had decided not
to pursue this matter, but this did not stop the US Attorney's Office from
prosecuting. You can read more on the circumstances around the case and
Aaron's death here: http://elliottbledsoe.com/2013/01/rip-aaron-swartz.

My friend Elliott Bledsoe and I have today *published an open letter to
propose that JSTOR rename their new free access accounts program** **in his
memory*. What would be a simple thing to implement for them would have
powerful resonance in a community coming to terms with this tragic loss.

*Please sign/comment/share if you agree with this suggestion: *
https://www.facebook.com/reallybigroadtrip/posts/456156304432261 or
http://www.reallybigroadtrip.com/jstor-open-letter

or RT this tweet:
*we would love to see @jstor's new free accounts commemorate #aaronswartz.
sign/share if you agree: http://rbrt.cc/VW7PTF *

Warmest thanks from your fellow open culture geeks,
Fee (@feesable <http://twitter.com/feesable>) & Elliott
(@elliottbledsoe<http://twitter.com/elliottbledsoe>
)



-- 

Fee Plumley

*>> Houston, we have a bus! Read the exquisite
story<http://www.reallybigroadtrip.com/2012/11/houston-we-have-a-bus/>behind
this find
** :) **<<*

Digital Nomad at http://reallybigroadtrip.com - making & sharing geek arts
across Australia.
Head Geek at http://technoevangelist.net - spreading the word of geek since
1996.

Chat via twitter <http://twitter.com/feesable>,
facebook<http://www.facebook.com/reallybigroadtrip> or
sign up to my newsletter <http://rbrt.cc/RBRTnews>.
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