-------- Original Message --------
Subject: SPAM - [ffii] Linus Torvalds & Alan Cox call on MEPs to vote against software patents patents
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 09:49:16 +0200 (CEST)
From: PILCH Hartmut <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
FFII News -- For Immediate Release -- Please Redistribute +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ Linus Torvalds and Alan Cox call on MEPs to vote against software patents
2003/09/22
For immediate Release
The two chief architects of the Linus operating system kernel, Linus Torvalds from Finland and Alan Cox from UK, ask for effective limitations to patentability in their letter to the members of the European Parliament. In particular, they recommend MEPs to follow the FFII voting list. The vote on the Directive will be on Wednesday and it is expected to be a very close one.
Details
Linus Torvalds, the original creator and current maintainer of the Linux operating system kernel, comments:
The experiences from the USA demonstrate that software patents
don't benefit anyone but perhaps the patent lawyers. They will just
weaken the market and increase spending on patents and litigation,
at the expense of technological innovation and research.He continues:
We hope that the members of European Parliament see these negative
sides and don't push the same chaos to the old continent.Alan Cox, creator and maintainer of large parts of the Linux kernel, working for Redhat in UK, notes:
Currenly, the companies are moving programming jobs offshore. The
huge move away from the USA is not entirely driven by pricing but
by patent litigation and risk. Companies create a US holding
company for the IPR which licenses it to a non US body to write the
software overseas and import it, so as to reduce risk.He stresses:
Adopting the same kind of patents in the EU will drive thousands of
EU programming jobs overseas, too.In their letter, Torvalds and Cox set three requests for the Directive. Firstly, it should clarify limits of patentability so that computer programs and business methods really cannot be patented as such. Secondly, the Directive should make sure that patents cannot be abused to avoid technical competition by preventing interoperability of competing software. Finally, the patents should not be allowed to be used to prevent publication of information.
Annotated Links
-> [12]Linus Torvals & Alan Cox 2003/09/22: Letter to the European
Parliament
explains dangers of software patents and chances of the
European Parliament to save Europe from these dangers this
week, recommends that MEPs should support the voting
recommendations of FFII. -> [13]EFFI version of Letter
The letter was first published by the Electronic Frontier
Foundation of Finnland. -> [14]Same in Finnish
-> [15]Same in Swedish
-> [16]EFFI version of PR
The PR was drafted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation of
Finnland. -> [17]Same in Finnish
-> [18]Europarl 2003/09 Software Patent Directive Amendments: Real vs
Fake Limits
The European Parliament is scheduled to decide about the
Software Patent Directive on September 24th. The directive as
proposed by the European Commission demolishes the basic
structure of the current law (Art 52 of the European Patent
Convention) and replaces it by the Trilateral Standard worked
out by US, European and Japanese Patent Offices in 2000,
according to which all "computer-implemented" problem solutions
are patentable inventions. Some members of the Parliament have
proposed amendments which aim to uphold the stricter invention
concept of the European Patent Convention, whereas others push
for unlimited patentability according to the Trilateral
Standard, albeit in a restrictive rhetorical clothing. We
attempt a comparative analysis of all proposed amendments, so
as to help decisionmakers recognise whether they are voting for
real or fake limits on patentability.Contact
mail:
media at ffii orgmedia-fi at ffii org
info at effi org
phone:
Hartmut Pilch +49-89-18979927More Contacts to be supplied upon request
About the FFII -- www.ffii.org
The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) is a non-profit association registered in Munich, which is dedicated to the spread of data processing literacy. FFII supports the development of public information goods based on copyright, free competition, open standards. More than 300 members, 500 companies and 30,000 supporters have entrusted the FFII to act as their voice in public policy questions in the area of exclusion rights (intellectual property) in data processing.
Permanent URL of this Press Release
http://swpat.ffii.org/news/03/linu0922/index.en.html
References
12. http://swpat.ffii.org/papers/eubsa-swpat0202/linus0309/index.en.html
13. http://www.effi.org/patentit/patents_torvalds_cox.html
14. http://www.effi.org/patentit/patents_torvalds_cox_fi.html
15. http://www.effi.org/patentit/patents_torvalds_cox_sv.txt
16. http://www.effi.org/julkaisut/tiedotteet/pressrelease-2003-09-22.html
17. http://www.effi.org/julkaisut/tiedotteet/lehdistotiedote-2003-09-22.html
18. http://swpat.ffii.org/papers/eubsa-swpat0202/plen0309/index.en.html
_______________________________________________ News mailing list (un)subscribe via http://petition.ffii.org/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.ffii.org/mailman/listinfo/news
-- ************************************ ** Our personal Homepages ** ** http://neeraja-rohit.cjb.net ** ************************************ ** Visit Us.. Surprise Us ... ** ************************************
-- To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the body "unsubscribe ilug-cal" and an empty subject line. FAQ: http://www.ilug-cal.org/node.php?id=3
