[Fsfe-uk] Patents meeting update (fwd)

[MJ Ray]

Here's a newsletter that I was sent.  I don't agree with all of the 
author's conclusions, but it is important that we put our views across 
to MEPs now.  Even if you've already contacted them, please contact 
them.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 2003-06-20 17:37:04 +0100
From: Jeff Veit - Tanasity <address@hidden>
Subject: Patents meeting update

Patents update

In this mail
- Responses from MEPs
- Guardian articles and letters
- JURI decision
- Plenary vote on 30th June - Only ten days time
- Speak to MEPs 1
- Speak to MEPs 2

Most important stuff is last.

.............

Responses from MEPs

We had a few responses to the note from the meeting from Eastern Region
MEPs. One Conservative MEP sent us their standard form reply to the 
issue.
You can have a copy if you want. Robert Sturdy told us that he is 
dealing
with the issue for the Conservatives and we should direct 
correspondence to
him alone but without any comment. Andrew Duff, a Liberal, wrote back
thanking us. We had nothing from Labour, or Arlene McCarthy who is 
Labour.

...

Guardian

The Guardian Online carried some coverage of the issue

- Well thought out criticism -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,970294,00.html
- Arlene McCarthy putting the case for - one of only a few public 
comments
from her - http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,975126,00.html
- Letters of reply -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,980180,00.html

...

JURI decision

You probably know that the JURI committee passed the amended draft 
without
any further amendments. They disregarded the proposals from other 
committees
that would have moderated the directive. I haven't finished reading 
the text
that was passed but it looks like there is nothing dealing with the 
concerns
raised at our meeting. You can find the amendments that passed here -
http://swpat.ffii.org/news/03/juri0617/juri030617.pdf. You also need 
the
original text of the draft directive - it's in the email I sent on the 
day
of the meeting. Or email me. Free Software people - I will translate 
to text
if anyone asks.

...

Plenary Vote

The vote in the EU Parliament had been pushed back to September, but 
now has
been moved forward. It's been scheduled for the session beginning on 
30th
June. That's only 10 days time. Almost no time to educate your MEPs 
and let
them know what you think and almost no time for amendments to be 
tabled. If
I was being uncharitable I would think that this was an attempt to 
rush a
controversial directive through the system given the numerous delays 
before
it came before JURI.

...

Speak to MEPs 1

Graham Watson is the group leader of the European Liberals, who will be
having a group meeting *very soon* to work out how they are going to 
vote,
and which amendments they need to put down.

He needs to be called by companies saying
1. we are n employees
2. we have a turnover of y EUR.
3. we are threatened by/support patents because..

It's especially important for SMEs to tell him what they think. The 
voice of
SMEs has not been heard properly in the debate and I don't believe that
their depth of concern is understood. You should do this now. Later is 
too
late.

His contact details are:
Office PHS 55 C7, European Parliament, Rue Wiertz, B-1047 Brussels, 
Belgium
Tel. 00 32 2 284 7626 Fax. 00 32 2 284 9626
email: address@hidden

It may be worth cc'ing any emails to the Lib Dem's UK IT spokesman,
Richard Allan MP (address@hidden)

...

Speak to MEPs 2

You should talk to your MEPs about your views. It's a proportional 
system -
you are represented by more than one although they tend to divide the
workload by area and topic. But all of them have responsibility for
understanding the issues. You can find details of Eastern Region MEPs 
here -
http://www.harlow.gov.uk/community/meps.htm. You can find lots more 
pages
using Google. You can use this page
http://wwwdb.europarl.eu.int/ep5/owa/p_meps.entry?ilg=EN to find 
contact
details. The more of them who know what you think, the more likely the
better the decision from the Parliament.


Best wishes,

Jeff Veit


Disclosure - it's not entirely relevant but I feel guilty leaving it 
out, so
I'll put it right at the end. I think that software patents could be 
good
for us, but this law wouldn't be. It doesn't protect Free Software, 
and it
doesn't mitigate against the damage of a 20 year lifespan of a software
patent.


http://www.tanasity.com/ - Tanasity develops software and net 
applications -
radical web update next week - and I've said this for 3 months
http://www.tangledtime.com/ - Occasional blog about the net, software 
and
business
http://www.chase.org.uk/ - Cambridge Hi-Tech Association of Small
Enterprises - brilliant networking for hi-tech companies around 
Cambridge,
UK
http://www.chaseconference.org.uk/ - Where Angels Dare and VCs also 
Tread -
October 10th 2002 - it's happened but I'm very proud of how successful 
it
was

Tanasity
Mobile: +44 (0)7812 217448
Tel: +44 (0)1223 721499
Email: address@hidden





--
MJR/slef   My Opinion Only and possibly not of any group I know.
     http://mjr.towers.org.uk/   jabber://address@hidden
Creative copyleft computing services via http://www.ttllp.co.uk/
      Thought: "Changeset algebra is really difficult."