Re: [Fsfe-uk] Consultation on IPRED

[Philip Hunt]

On Wednesday 20 July 2005 09:40, Alex Hudson wrote:
> The IP Rights Enforcement directive is a bit of a battle lost, but the
> UKPO are running an implementation consultation:
>
>       http://www.patent.gov.uk/about/consultations/enforce05/index.htm
>
> I can't see anything which specifically affects free software authors
> (although presumption of authorship is a bit of a double-edged sword),

Is it? Why?

> and much of this isn't new law. Annex D is the 'new' bit, and fairly
> short reading (but quite difficult reading at the same time...)
>
> Is there anything worth saying about this? (I can't see anything).

Is there a good *short* summary of this anywhere? (I'm assuming it's
a generalised piece of legislation giving more powers to copyright 
holders). 

What bothers me is not this specific law, but the general trend of laws 
which is against us. When we win, it's generally in preventing the 
opposition from implimenting a particularly harmful law (such as the EU 
software patent directive).

Why can't we get laws passed that move things in our direction? The
sorts of law I have in mind would have provisions such as:

- acknowledging the benefits of free software to society, which is the 
justification for the below:

- requiring public authorities to use open data formats (where "open data 
format" means one for which there is free software that reads/writes
that format, e.g. as a reference implementation)

- specifically making free software unable to be sued for patent 
infringement or for circumvention of DRM 

-- 
Philip Hunt, address@hidden