[Fsfe-uk] FFII swpat alert: please submit to slashdot *now*

[James Heald]

Please submit the following alert to Slashdot *now*
        http://slashdot.org/submit.pl


subject -- 4 weeks to stop e-patents in Europe

topic -- Patents

section -- either  'Articles' or 'Your Rights Online'

text:

The <a href="www.ffii.org.uk">FFII in the UK</a> is issuing an alert for 
<a href="http://www.ffii.org.uk/council.html";>all supporters to write to 
their MPs -- this weekend</a> .

In September the European Parliament voted for <a 
href="http://swpat.ffii.org/journal/03/fsfr1010/index.en.html";>strong 
restrictions</a> on software patents. But these could be <A 
HREF="http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39116709,00.htm";>set 
aside</a> at a meeting of the EU's <a 
href="http://wiki.ael.be/index.php/CouncilOfMinisters";>Competitiveness 
Council of Ministers</a> on 10 November.  The ministers' meeting is to 
be "prepared" at a meeting of senior <a 
href="http://register.consilium.eu.int/scripts/utfregisterDir/WebDriver.exe?MIval=result&MIlang=EN&key=REGISTER&ssf=DATE_DOCUMENT+DESC&fc=REGAISEN&srm=25&md=400&what=simple&ff_TITRE=working+intellectual+property+patents&ff_FT_TEXT=&ff_SOUS_COTE_MATIERE=&dd_DATE_REUNION=&button1=Search+Now";>patent 
officials from across Europe</a> even sooner: this Thursday 23 October.

Unless they can be convinced otherwise before 10 November, it is 
believed that UK ministers will push for the Council to adopt a <a 
href="http://www.ffii.org.uk/nov2002.html";>November 2002 draft</a> text, 
which is even worse than the infamous <a 
href="http://swpat.ffii.org/papers/eubsa-swpat0202/amccarthy0302/index.en.html";>McCarthy 
report</a>.  The European Parliament's rules for second reading make it 
<a 
href="http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade2?PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+RULES-EP+20030201+RULE-080+DOC+XML+V0//EN&HNAV=Y";>very 
difficult</a> for MEPs to fix a bad text from the Council.

The FFII says it desperately need a lot of letters to go out to MPs this 
weekend to tell the Government how bad the November 2002 draft is.

<a href="http://www.ffii.org.uk/council.html#further";>More information 
at FFII-UK</a>