[Fsfe-uk] wipo petition

[Graham Seaman]

Not strictly free software, but some people here might be interested in 
signing:

http://www.petitiononline.com/wipo/petition.html

which is a petition against underhand manoeuvering in WIPO (the world 
body which sets
the rules on  patents and copyright) by the  US  and Europe in 
particular:  Brazil and Argentina
were making some headway with proposals which would have been less hard 
on developing
countries, and the US et al react by banning NGOs from WIPO meetings and 
holding 'informal'
planning meetings to which no developing countries are invited. It's 
explained more on the link
above, as well as being discussed on the FSF Europe PCT list 
(http://mail.fsfeurope.org/pipermail/wsis-pct/).

IMO this is both bigger and even more anti-democratic than the 
shenanigans over European
software patents...

Graham