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!"

Comments

Where are all the teeth?

[Moderation abuser]

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.

You are worse than the patent lobbiests

[Sanity]

You haven't got a chance.

Its pessimistic cynics like you that are the real enemy, not the lobbiests - at least they are honest about which side they are on, but you hurt the side you claim to support.

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.

Re:Waste of time

[Sanity]

I wrote a letter to my MP and MEP and all I basically got back was a nice parliamentary compliment slip and a letter with the lowest signal to noise ratio ever. They're all toeing the party line.

So thats when you gave up - eh? Sucker.

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.

MEPs of NL

[Flyboy Connor]

Last September, before the meeting of the European Parliament on the proposal, I wrote a letter to all MEPs of The Netherlands on this issue. I got two responses.

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.

Re:I've said it before...

[16K Ram Pack]

This has been said time and again (Bush said it over Kyoto). "If path x is followed, it will damage our economy".

It won't. It will just move things around. Software automation didn't wipe out millions of jobs. It created new ones.

Free software will just end up with another bunch of jobs (it may actually create more jobs due to some decentralisation), but maybe consumers will get more bang for their buck.

If people don't spend money on software, they'll spend it on something else. Maybe some guy will go and buy some more beers because he doesn't have to pay for some software. Who knows.

It's all consumer led. If people perceive some piece of free software as cheaper or better, they will switch. All lobbyists can do is to delay what is natural and inevitable.

Lemme guess, you're Danish?

[ArsenneLupin]

As Bert Brecht said:

Wer kämpft, kann verlieren. Wer nicht kämpft, hat schon verloren.

(He who fights may lose. He who does not fight has already lost)

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!