linux-l: immer wieder ...

[Bernd Classen]

Hi,

ich leite das einfach mal unkommentiert weiter ...


Grüße
Bernd

> Dear Sir,
> Dear Madam,
> 
> The European Commission is currently researching the economic impact of
> software patents. For quite obvious reasons, many patent attorneys and
> IP lawyers who earn money through the patent system are currently lobbying
> the European Commission in favor of a broad extension of the patent system
> to software, business methods, intellectual methods, etc.
> 
> Unless you express your own opinion, only their opinion will be taken into
> account in the decision process, whatever the consequences on your business,
> whatever the consequences on innovation.
> 
> It is therefore very important and urgent, if you consider software patents
> to be more harmful than useful, to send your opinion by email to:
> 
>         consultation at eurolinux.org
> 
> as soon as possible and, in any case, before December 15th, 2000. You
> can write in the official language of any member country of the European
> Union.
> 
> Your email will then be forwarded to the European Commission and published on
> the EuroLinux Web in order to make sure that your point of view is taken into
> consideration:
> 
>         http://petition.eurolinux.org/consultation
> 
> There is currently a consensus among economists on the fact that software
> patents tend to stifle innovation and harm small and medium enterprises
> because they create tremendous juridical uncertainty which only benefits to
> patent attorneys and lawyers. There is also a consensus among patent
> attorneys on the fact that patents on business methods are just a kind of
> software patents and that it is impossible to ban business method patents
> once software patents become legal.
> 
> Please write serious (but not necessarily long) emails, with a consistent
> analysis based on economics, technology or real world examples from your
> everyday practice. Here are a few advice for your email to reach maximal impact
> within the European Commission:
> 
>         1- NO POLITICS - Do not include in your emails any political analysis.
> Otherwise, certain civil servants at the European Commission will pretend that
> you are politically biased and claim that your arguments are irrelevant.
> 
>         2- FREE MARKET RHETORICS - Use rhetorics based on free market,
> competition, innovation, entrepreneurship, SMEs and property, just as if you
> were the chief of the federation of enterprises in your country. EuroLinux has
> experienced that "free market economy" is currently the only common language
> which most civil servants at the European Commission understand. In order to
> let them understand your point of view and take it into account, it is
> compulsory to speak their language. Arguments based on epistemology, ethics or
> history are acceptable but have in general no positive impact on the European
> Commission because only few people will understand them.
> 
>         3- DAVOS COMPATIBLE - Imagine that you are introducing your point of
> view at the Davos Economic Forum in front of CEOs who will only listen to you
> if your arguments mean more profits to them. Incidentally, many Commissioners
> at the European Commission used to be members of the steering committee of the
> Davos Economic Forum.
> 
>         4- CONSENSUS AMONG ECONOMISTS - Always mention that there is a
> consensus among economists on the fact that software patents harm innovation.
> 
> Please understand that our advice does not represent any political point of
> view of the EuroLinux Alliance and is strictly designed at helping you to
> present your arguments in such way that they are going to be taken into
> account by the European Commission.
> 
> For more information on software patents, please read our knowledge
> database and follow the links:
> 
>         http://petition.eurolinux.org/consultation
>         http://petition.eurolinux.org/pr/pr5.html
> 
> If you need inspiration to write your own statement, you may also access our
> statements database where 100 European companies have already published
> position statements:
> 
>         http://petition.eurolinux.org/statements
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> EuroLinux Alliance
> petition at eurolinux.org
> http://petition.eurolinux.org