Date:  Sun, 19 Dec 2004 19:39:55 -0500
From:  madodel at ptdprolog.net
Subject:  [VOICENWS] OT: Help stop software patents in Europe!!

From: "Roderick Klein" <rwkleinDESPAM at wanadoo.nl> 

Hello,

If you live in the European Union, please read this.

People don't have to send me emails back how to lobby. I have been to
Brussels twice on behalf of Mensys to make our voice heard on the subject
of software patents. 

To put in nut shell. Software patents are a bad thing for OS/2, eCS and
Linux. Its certainly going to be abused by (a) *certain* compan(y)(ies) on
the market to kill choice (they more or less stated that clear enough).
Open source has given OS/2 plenty of tools and programs, for example: The
GCC compiler ported by Innotek from Linux to OS/2. Thanks to this compiler
(which is open source) we have the Mozilla (which is also open source)/IBM
Web Browser on OS/2 and eComStation. Other things like Apache, MySQL and
PHP that are all open source.

This year with a succesful lobby the European Parliament changest a draft
law from the European Commision.  The reason Open Source is more at risk
is because the whole source code of applications can be read. Also a lot
of software patents in the US should have *never* been granted they cover
to many basic ideas.

An example of crazy software patents, read here:
http://webshop.ffii.org/

Now however a dirty game is being played.
Drop by here for more information:
www.ffii.org


As nice quote from the FFII website describes the situation:
http://kwiki.ffii.org/Demo0412En Laura Creighton, software entrepreneur,
venture capitalist and Vice President of FFII

"Before today it was possible for generous people to look charitably at
this text as an example of a tragic mistake, not malice. But not with this
last-minute maneuvering. Only the most committed opponent to the
democratic process would believe that the proper response to the
widespread consensus that there is something profoundly wrong with the
Council's text, is to race it through with an A-item approval the week
before Christmas in a Fisheries Council Meeting. The bad smell coming from
Brussels has nothing to do with the fish." 

(My personel comment this is not the only time Brussel is smelly in a
political sense.:-) ).

What you can do ? 
Goto www.ffii.org and understand what happens and contact your local
parliament member tomorrow. Presure helped before and it seems its
required again! In general the lobby against software patents can use more
people to help out FFII. Please note I'm just a very small contributor to
FFII and not realy linked to the organisation.

Roderick Klein



--
 Warpstock 2005 - Where/When? Stay tuned to http://www.warpstock.org
 Warpstock Europe 2005 - Where/When? Stay tuned to
http://www.warpstock.net

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