Re: Future Handling of Blue Sheets

[Russ Housley <[e-mail]>]

> For what it is worth, here is my opinion on this subject (which I was
> asked to post here).
> 
> I see  possible privacy law problems with posting the blue sheets, so
> I would not.
> 
> I see a good reason to scan and have images of new blue sheets, make
> it easier to respond to subpoenas.
> 
> I do see a historical benefit to keeping the blue sheets (as blue
> sheets, not just scans), and the expense
> of doing so is minimal, so I would urge that their archiving be continued.

During the IESG off-site meeting, this topic received quite a bit of discussion.  The IESG recognized that blue sheet information is valuable for peer pressure to abide by the IPR rules.  In contrast, I understand the concerns that have been raised on this thread.  As a result, I am looking into a mechanism where a datatracker password is needed to get the blue sheet images.  This would be the same password that an IETF community participant will to use with the soon-to-be-released Internet-Draft Tracking features (see RFC 6293).  These accounts are available to anyone; however, the need for an account to access blue sheet images raises the bar for access.  Additionally, the need for an account will keep the blue sheet images hidden from web crawlers.

Thanks to Ted hardie for the question that lead to this potential solution.

Russ