Re: [Fsfe-uk] URGENT RFC: Text for UK swpat MP lobbying/slashdotting

[Clive Menzies]

On (17/10/03 13:25), James Heald wrote:
> Follow-ups to  address@hidden  please.
> 
> You may need to go to join the list at
>       http://mail.ffii.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/ffii-uk_ffii.org.uk
> -----------------------------------------------------
> 
> Comments, feedback, fixes needed URGENTLY for
> 
>       http://www.ffii.org.uk/council.html
> 
> The software patents directive is going to be discussed in the Council 
> of Ministers on November 10th.
> 
> The text that comes out is critical, because that's what goes to the 
> MEPs at second reading -- and the European Parliament rules are 
> different for second reading: amendments are *far* harder to get passed.
> 
> At the moment it looks as though the UK will be pushing for the 
> Council's to adopt unchanged its November 2002 draft text.  This is even 
> worse than the McCarthy report -- no definition of technical, abstract 
> data processing a 'field of technology', no article 6a allowing 
> interoperability, and 'program claims' which would make the publication 
> of patented code on a website a direct patent infringement -- even if 
> the code is for discussion only and never run.
Although not directly relevant to this request, this should be essential 
reading for MP's:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.11/opensource/opensource.html?pg=5&topic=&topic_set=

Regards

Clive


> 
> 
> We desperately need to kick-start a UK letter-writing campaign to MPs to 
> try to change the Government's mind before November 10th.
> 
> In fact it's even more urgent than that, because  officials from the UK 
> patent office will be negotiating with their opposite numbers from 
> patent offices across Europe as soon as this Thursday, 23rd October, to 
> try to fix the blueprint for the ministers' meeting.
> 
> So we desperately need *lots* of letters to start going out to MPs *this 
> weekend* to tell the government how bad the November 2002 draft is.
> 
> 
> The plan is to try to get the
>       http://www.ffii.org.uk/council.html
> page slashdotted this afternoon, while some slashdotters are still 
> reading it at work; and also to send out a mailing to people on the 
> Eurolinux petition list and the FFII supporters list.
> 
> 
> SO:  Please start submitting the page, or bits of this email, with 
> whatever other links and bits you think would help, to the Slashdot 
> submissions page any time after 2.30 (UK time).  A good title might be 
> some variant of "4 weeks to stop e-patents in Europe"
> 
> 
> And please send any improved paragraphs/better texts/stylesheet fixes 
> for the pages
> 
>       http://www.ffii.org.uk/
>       http://www.ffii.org.uk/council.html
>       http://www.ffii.org.uk/nov2002.html
>       http://www.ffii.org.uk/technical.html
>       http://www.ffii.org.uk/hewitt.html
>       
> to the  address@hidden  list *as soon as possible*.  Time is very 
> short.
> 
> 
> All best,
> 
>    James Heald.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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