Re: Repeat the anti-software-patent campaign? It's back, and it's worse now! (URL)
On Monday 08 March 2004 16:22, Herman Robak wrote:
> On Mon, 2004-03-08 at 15:19, Thomas Templin wrote:
> > On Saturday 06 March 2004 23:01, Herman Robak wrote:
> > > The EU council has circulated a "compromise" counter-proposal
>
> ...
>
> > > Calling it a "compromise" is highly desceptive; it's
> > > much worse than the original. But they press on,
>
> ...
>
> > FFII, http://www.ffii.org, People are planning to have some
> > actions/events at Bruxelles for this. There also will be a
> > "Parlamentarischer Abend", some kind of Informational event for german
> > Potiticians of the Bundestag this Wednesday. Holger Blasum,
> > blasum@informatik.uni-muenchen.de, and Hartmut Pilch, phm@ffii.de, will
> > be the right people to get in contact.
> >
> > There are also some guys of ATTAC Wissensalmende, a ATTAC group working
> > on property rights, who will be in Brüssel too.
>
> ...
>
> > Sven Kromminga and me (Volunteers of FSF Europe in Germany) are in
> > contact with some people of the lower saxony greens and the lower saxony
> > SPD (social democratic party).
>
> Mostly the left, the greens and the anti-globists?
>
> This cause used to have a broader support than that, didn't it?
> Where are the small companies? There are _some_ right-wing
> politicians who are opposed to this, right?
Give me the chance to talk to them for an hour or two and I will tell them
what a disater sw patents will be for europe.
In the moment there are two limtations for this. First conservatives who are
willing to get informed. and second the limitation in (not only my)
recources. Traveling, phone calls, postings, newspaper articles and so on and
so on hase to be payed.
> I'm glad the left, the greens and the anti-globalists are with
> us on this, but I would like to see a pan-political opposition.
> This case could fit almost any party's agenda, with the right
> "spin" put to it. Calling us "extremists" ought to be an absurd
> lie. Can we make it so?
FULLACK
But the conservative and others are not willing even to listen to arguments.
For example the ministery of justice lower saxony anounced the migration to
W2003 and XP-pro some weeks ago. And they said, "This will be a sign for
lower saxony."
And there are plans to buy state licenses (don't know how to explain it
exactly in english) for all lower saxony schools and governmental
institutions.
There are teachers who fear that they will not be able to buy any GNU/Linux
Distribution when they will be offered to use W2003 and XP-pro for free. And
they will get free support too.
But here skolelinux wins. Due to the decision of SUSE to stop the support
even for SLOSS packages they sold in feb a lot of schools are very angry and
this is a point where we should be able to introduce skolelinux. We did so on
GNU/Linux infomation days last weekend in Wilhelmshaven. There are first
contacts between skolelinux, cobaco and Bastian, the local vhs (Evening
classes and education), Ken Wilson, and BBS Emden (a big school for education
for skilled workers which is common in germany), Werner Lasch.
To my opinion debian-edu should work on the aspects of Free Software and on
the aspects of Debian society as non comercial project which can't be sold,
closed and can't go bancrupt as every comercial company can. That's a very
big plus especially in the public sector.
There is a big need for more information work on a european base and on a
very big need for information on a regional base too. Most regional
politicans don't know that small and midrange companies aside the it branch
will be affected by sw patents. And this are the companies which pay their
fees mostly to the local region, so they do in germany.
e.g.
I'm from Wilhelmshaven (WHV), ex Olympia Typewriter City. The local
authorities know what it means when a complete industrial sector will
dissappear. This happend cause of two reasons which are a bit similar to what
happens nowadays. Countries from outside europe came to us and learned how to
design and produce consumer electronics and precision mechanics like it was
produced by Grundig, Olympia, Nordmende and others. So do some contries from
far east and other regions on the field of Free Software nowadays, what is a
plus for Free Software. And on the other Hand the big industrial lobbies like
Olympia and Grundig in the past and MS and others today believe in an
overcome buisines model on their field.
What happend 25 years ago in a decade may happen wihtin the next five years in
a period of one or two years in the field of it again.
I know that this argumentation lacks a lot. But this is an experience and a
pictur in the mind of local authorities here. And you can see the sweat of
fear on their faces. :o)
It's a good way to get a foot in the door, as we say in germany.
I think it is time to show some officials which drastically regional effects
sw patents will have and not only on the field of it.
And regional work is not as expensive as european work is. This year we will
have european parliament elections again. And thats a good chance to ask our
regional candidates some painful questions...
Bye,
Thomas
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