[oclug] Fwd: [edlug] Rather Depressing

[M&D Hickson]

Good for you for writing - the geographic origin of your letter also
points out that this mess is being noticed around the world - in a very
unflattering light.

I've been following a discussion about this on the ILUG (Irish LUG) and
watching them getting commitments from their representatives,
instituting a letter writing campaign etc. etc. - but as you say:

> the EU Parliament, with widespread popular support, has proposed a
> clear exclusion of software patents but the Commission and Council
> have ignored the Parliament's proposal and reinstated an
> uncompromisingly pro-patent text.

and was wondering what the consequences of its passing or failing will
be on the patent situation here? 

Slightly related, and touching in its now seemingly naive enthusiasm is
the preamble to Eben Moglen's 1999. "Anarchism triumphant: Free software
and the death of copyright," 
First Monday, volume 4, number 8 (August), at 
http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_8/moglen/

which reads in part:
"This paper shows why free software, far from being a marginal
participant in the commercial software market, is the vital first step
in the withering away of the intellectual property system."

I found that paper through:
'Free software and open source: The freedom debate and its consequences'
First Monday, volume 10, number 3 (March 2005),
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_3/klang/index.html

Anyway, as the subject line of this thread reads... it is all 'Rather
Depressing'
-mick

On Sat, 2005-03-19 at 18:37 -0500, Sean Hammond wrote: 
> Ugh.. God. I apologise... my email was meant for Edlug. Gmail is
> mixing and matching different mailing lists into the same thread. What
> a mess. Gmail really is a pain.
> 
> Anyway, if anyone's interested, that was a letter about wha'ts going
> on in Europe.