Battleangel

Via Boing Boing, Bruce Sterling …

Disclosure and Ownership of Intellectual Property. I (i) shall promptly and fully disclose to Red Cross any and all Intellectual Property, (ii) agree that all Intellectual Property shall be owned by Red Cross, (iii) agree to and do hereby assign, transfer and convey to Red Cross the entire right, title and interest in and to all Intellectual Property, (iv) will execute and deliver any and all documents, take all actions and render any and all assistance reasonably requested by Red Cross, during or at any time after Volunteer Service, to establish Red Cross’ ownership of, or to enable Red Cross to obtain patents to or register copyrights of, any Intellectual Property, and (v) acknowledge that all Intellectual Property that is copyrightable subject matter and that qualifies as a “work made for hire” shall be automatically owned by Red Cross. In the event Red Cross is unable for any reason whatsoever to secure my signature to any document required to apply for or execute any patent, copyright, or other applications with respect to Intellectual Property, I hereby irrevocably appoint Red Cross and its authorized officers and agents as my agents and attorneys-in-fact to execute and file any such application and to do all other acts to further the prosecution and issuance of patents, copyrights, or other rights with respect to Intellectual Property with the same legal force and effect as if executed by me. As a reminder, Intellectual Property shall only include intellectual property created by me (y) in the course of Volunteer Service or using Red Cross time, equipment, information or materials, and (z) within one (1) year after termination of Volunteer Service and relating directly to work done during Volunteer Service.

The same essential text can be found in guidebooks all over the US. Heartland Chapter, NW Michigan Chapter, Tulsa Chapter. In a Q and A section the American Red Cross expands on the policy …

The Red Cross also has an obligation to protect its assets, and intellectual property is a vital asset of the corporation.

As such, we require third parties, or parties external to the Red Cross, to pay licensing fees or royalties for the right to use our intellectual property. This revenue often provides financial support for the project or office in which the intellectual property originated, allowing the Red Cross to continue its work and fulfill its mission.

There is an expectation of privacy from our donors, employees, volunteers, clients and customers that the Red Cross takes very seriously.

Consequently, all employees and volunteers have an obligation to protect the intellectual property and confidential information of the organization.

Now that got me thinking. First of all it is clear that the American Red Cross sees itself more as a corporation. Cosy. Then they imply that it’s all for pulling in funds. So my question is this, do people affiliated with the RC need their privacy? Is it like working for the RC or donating is some sort of social stigma or something? If I worked for the RC or bankrolled their operations, I’d let the world know.
And what do they do that is so profitable? Sing and dance in bars? Tour the world playing Cliff Richards covers? No, it’s all fabricated, in fact none of this makes sense … except …

The part about confidential information got my attention. I remembered the recent US outrage over the ICRC spilling their guts on such topics as human rights and torture. Now this seems like a good way to stifle such “tattletale.” Because obviously there are secrets even within the US borders that are best untold. I’m thinking for example of the miserable conditions in many US prisons, the practise of putting minors to the capital punishment etc. Or the various US military operations where I am sure the RC is tagging along in some capacity and may see and hear things that they are not supposed to.

Bottom line is that IP goes hand in hand with corporate greed, power and government coverup. It is one of the corner stones that we have to tear down if we are ever going to achieve a free society.