Slashdot Mirror
Europeans, Tweak Your Representatives On Patents
zoobab writes "The FFII is launching a call for
action to push European candidates to answer questions on Software
Patents. Alan Cox has also written a open letter in
which he points out that those European elections are an opportunity for
each citizen to have the choice and to make the politicians listen. Get the
questionnaire and send it to the candidates
of your country!"
I think lobbying the MEP's isn't enough.. we have to lobby the central governments of member states.. We don't want some soft-ass patent system like the States.
Simon.
and I'll say it again: You haven't got a chance. Why? Because at the end of the day/week/month/whatever the anti patent lobbiests are going to go home and then go back to their day jobs. The Pro patent lobbiests are going to do the same, only their job is to lobby for patents all day. There's just too much money for these greedy bastards to leave on the table. Free software looks good, but it doesn't get money flowing in an economy. Without money flowing, you've got no tax dollars, and you've got fewer people doing less work (which is a good thing BTW, for all but the wealthy bastards that manipulate the poor to satisfy their staggering greed). The trick to economy (and society) is to get people to work really really hard for you so you can live like a God among men. Patents are just one step along in the process.
Not trolling, I'm just a pessimist (and a lazy speller).
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It's not a total waste. If a lot of MPs get a lot of letters saying "we think this is a bad idea", then they'll generally reconsider their position.
It might also be worth bending your MEP's ear on what the point of the parliament is if the council of ministers can simply retract bills which have been ammended and then resubmit them with all of the ammendments removed. They may be more likely to apply what little power they do have.
Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
It's not as if any of the other parties have a different policy, so it's not like you can threaten them with voting for the other guy either.
Not enough people care, so time is probably better spent preparing for when they do come in.
The only way to guarantee failure here is not to try in the first place, yet that is exactly what your brand of pessimism encourages.
If we win this it will be no thanks to people like you.
You have to challenge them to think about this, if they reply to you with the party line, phone them up, explain that you are familiar with the party position but that it is wrong - and politely ask for the opportunity to explain why.
I contacted my MEP, Avril Doyle (Ireland), and while she was previously unfamiliar with the issue, she actually became a strong opponent of software patents based on my and other's conversations with her.
Don't give up - if your political representatives don't listen, make them listen.
I have found most MEPs to be quite responsive to email these days.
I'm sending my copy in. It might not make a difference, but I'd rather try and fail instead of bending over and taking it.
'For we walk by faith, not by sight.' II Corinthians 5:7
The first was from a right-wing MEP that stated that I shouldn't get worked up over this, that it wasn't all as bad as it sounded, and that I should trust them to do the right thing (fat chance).
The second was from a MEP of the democratic party (D'66) who did give the response I had hoped for ("software patents bad, open source good"), who I found indeed voted against software patents, and who later got back to me providing the amended text of the proposal, and the further statement that they would keep on fighting the European Commission if it would reject the amendments (which it did).
So you can guess where my vote is going.
They may have more money, and more time, but on June 13th, it's us who'll be calling the shots. So don't give up too quickly!
Unfortunately UKIP seems to have strong links to the British National Party (i.e. National Front with more expensive suits). Not the sort of people I want to vote for. Some people have suggested the RESPECT Coalition. Unfortunately that coalition has strong links to parties like the Justice For Kashmir party (now calling themselves People's Justice Party) who are a Pro-Islamic Pro-Pakistani Anti-Everyone else party who's core policies (their rasion d'etre infact) are based around separating Kashmir from India and giving it to Pakistan. Again, not people I want to vote for.
I think I'll be voting Labour again ont he grounds that that they've got the best chance of keeping the JFK out in my area.
Stephen
"Don't write down to your readers, the only people less intelligent than you can't read" - Sign on Newspaper Office Wall
But anti-patent lobbyists are not necessary Open Source code writers. Think about a small software business, who will be selling its products, and which will therefore contribute to generating cash flows. Do you really think that this small business selling its product will not be infringing hundreds of patents already filled-in by the big corporations?
And should that small business come up with a really nice idea that could deserve a patent, chances are that this patent will not be enforcible against big corporations (who will surely find that company already infringing some of the patents in its portfolio) but only against other small businesses who compete on the same market. Thereby killing competition early when it should on the contrary be promoted!
Maybe all the Open Source authors are anti-patent lobbyists, but that is not the sole population who should be fighting against that system!
The purpose of the patent system in the indusrty is to grant one the right of acting as a "monopoly" for a limited amount of time, in return for the invention being disclosed. In a competitive industry, this is the way of gaining a competitive advantage, and it is indeed the motor of invention, because if they don't innovate, competitors won't gain a competitive advantage.
This does not transpose well to the software industry because it is already a world dominated by giants who already have tons of patents for silly things. The one-click patent from Amazon is a good example of how deviant the system can become... Not even talking about whether the idea itself was an invention or not, it gives an unfair competitive advantage to Amazon because it is applicable to the way of conducting business on the Internet and not to the business in which Amazon is competing.
I may be cynical, but tens of millions of peopel and plenty of media attention didn't change the war in Iraq one bit, although that may just show the stubborness of george bush.
Forgive me for asking, but what the fuck does the stubbornness of George Bush have to do with the European parliament?
In Europe, the protests by tens of millions of people, and all that media attention, had the effect of causing France and Germany to condemn the American and British action and refuse to take part. To the extent that "France" is still a dirty word in America, and every mention of the country even on Slashdot is guaranteed to bring out a flood of racism and unfunny "surrender" jokes!
That sounds like people's voices being heard to me.
Unfortunately, I think you may be right.
Many people such as myself may be tempted to vote for UKIP due to their tough stance on Europe... but it seems that it is just impossible for a party to have such strong 'nationalistic' opinions without picking up some racist element.
The UKIP previously made every effort to separate themselves from racism accusations. What the hell are they thinking parading Kilroy-Silk about the place right after he lost his TV job over racist remarks...
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