John Carter wrote:
I have just met Kate Wilkinson, the National Party Member of Parliament.
The Nats have begun negotiations with the Greens, re the Consumer's
Right to Know (Food Information) Bill
www.greens.org.nz/searchdocs/other9701.html
<http://www.greens.org.nz/searchdocs/other9701.html> So next we should
start persuading the Nats that free/open-source software is economically
constructive too.
I was telling her why things like...
* Software Patents
* Digital Millennium Copyright Acts
* Net Neutrality
* And Microsoft lobbyists
are scary and dangerous things that potentially could do hugely nasty
things to employment in Canterbury.
I would like to send her a bunch of links, that are digestible to a
Lawyer, on why these notions are very very Bad for New Zealanders.
Any one got some good links?
These link-notes are extracted from my thesis draft:
*
Repay the Turing debt - abolish software patents!*
[Alan Turing was the UK-US computer theoretician who invented the
'Universal Machine' by which we now communicate. He died young and
mysteriously, at the height of the Cold War, from which US-UK-EU
computer industries divided competitively. So no trans/national
corporate has the right to monopolise any aspect of digital
telecommunications, and we must fight all such privatising initiatives
to practically extend democracy.]
"if the EU allows software patents, then that's the beginning of the end
for Linux. Not only for Linux. It's just a prominent example" No
Software Patents! <http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/en/m/intro/index.html>
Bruce Perens On SYS-CON.TV <http://linux.sys-con.com/read/118074.htm>
LinuxWorld 15August2005
Software Patents: "Programmers & Consumers Should Gather Forces," Says
Richard Stallman <http://linux.sys-con.com/read/114100.htm> LinuxWorld
02August2005
How SW Patents Endanger FOSS
<http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20050630121101839> groklaw
30Jun2005
Patent injustice for small software companies
<http://insight.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,39020463,39205951,00.htm> ZDNet
UK 29Jun2005
Patent absurdity
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/comment/story/0,12449,1510566,00.html>
RM Stallman, Guardian Unlimited online UK 20Jun05 + The Danger of
Software Patents <http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/stallman-mec-india.html>
speech India + Saving Europe from Software Patents
<http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/savingeurope.html>
The argument against software patents
<http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=10354> OSNews 19Apr05
Gates up to old tricks over intellectual property rights
<http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=5&ObjectID=10115247> nzherald
15Mar05
Microsoft Calls for Reforms to the U.S. Patent System
<http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2005/mar05/03-10PatentReform.asp>
MS 10Mar05
So, *Now* How Do You Feel About Software Patents?
<http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20050223205453141> "FT.com has
the jaw-dropping story about European futures exchanges, brokers and
traders preparing for patent infringement claims from Trading
Technologies.. 2 1/2 cents for each side of a trade, which would amount
to revenue of about $130 million annually" Groklaw 24Feb05
EU Patent directive deadlocked
<http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39189032,00.htm>
ZDNet UK 23Feb05
FreePatentsOnline.com <http://www.freepatentsonline.com> search
The Economic Majority Against Software Patents
<http://economic-majority.com> & Software Patents vs Parliamentary
Democracy <http://swpat.ffii.org> - Foundation for a Free Information
Infrastructure <http://www.ffii.org> ffii.org EU * * * * *
Thoughts on Copyright and Patents
<http://www.netjeff.com/IntelProperty.html> "I write software for a
living.." netjeff.com * * *
The Importance of... <http://www.corante.com/importance/> "Ernest Miller
pursues research and writing on cyberlaw, intellectual property, and
First Amendment issues" blog
Replied to an orginal post on Canterbury Linux Users Group
<http://clug.org.nz> list,
& CC'd to the Aoraki Green's activist list.
hth,
--
Rik Tindall, InfoHelp Services <http://www.infohelp.co.nz> on virus-free
Ubuntu GNU/Linux 5.10 free OS, 2.6.12-9-k7 kernel, GNOME 2.12.1 desktop
OpenOffice.org 1.9.129, Mozilla 1.7.12 email client & web browser
GIMP 2.2.8 graphics, gedit 2.12.1 web editor, gFTP 2.0.18 file transfer
