Dear all,
I have just read the news here:
(german) http://www.heise.de/newsticker/data/hod-10.06.02-000/
The german government welcomes the plans of the European Commission to introduce software patents.
Might be of interest.
Jan Wildeboer
Oooops,
Is it an official statement for the German Government ? If I remember correctly, there was a statement "against software" at German Goverment (following a recommendation of Max Planck Institute) ? I don't like that.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2099533,00.html
""The German Ministry of Economics and Technology has spoken out against the broadening of software patent laws within Europe,on the basis that it would stifle innovation and the open-source movement. ""
Maybe a push from the OEB ?
adulau
On Mon, 10 Jun 2002, Jan Wildeboer wrote:
Dear all,
I have just read the news here:
(german) http://www.heise.de/newsticker/data/hod-10.06.02-000/
The german government welcomes the plans of the European Commission to introduce software patents.
Might be of interest.
Jan Wildeboer
Discussion mailing list Discussion@fsfeurope.org https://mailman.fsfeurope.org/mailman/listinfo/discussion
Alexandre Dulaunoy wrote:
Oooops,
Is it an official statement for the German Government ? If I remember correctly, there was a statement "against software" at German Goverment (following a recommendation of Max Planck Institute) ? I don't like that.
According to my source the CDU party has asked the government about its position on software patents and the government has answered with "we support it".
Shall I dig out the official statements and post a translation here?
Jan Wildeboer
On Mon, 2002-06-10 at 17:25, Jan Wildeboer wrote:
Shall I dig out the official statements and post a translation here?
Yes, please ... this seems not to be good news ...
Tycho
Please coordinate actions with the ffii or eurolinux. Hartmut Pilch phm@ffii.org usually knows how you can help best in Germany.
The FFII has some mailing lists where you can get more information about what is going on regarding software patents then from heise. (The quality of heise reports is varing a lot.)
English, more toplevel: http://ffii.org/archive/mails/news/
Diskussion in German: http://ffii.org/archive/mails/swpat/
Note that the political process about software patents is in full swing in Germany and Europe. There are always things happening. Unfortunately it is quite difficult to evalutate what it going on and whether this is good or bad.
On Mon, Jun 10, 2002 at 06:00:49PM +0200, Stefano Maffulli wrote:
On Mon, 2002-06-10 at 17:25, Jan Wildeboer wrote:
Shall I dig out the official statements and post a translation here?
Yes please, that would help a lot.
Jan Wildeboer jan.wildeboer@gmx.de writes:
Shall I dig out the official statements and post a translation here?
The document is 14/9174, and it might take a few days until it is available online at the Bundestag site.
|| On Mon, 10 Jun 2002 17:13:22 +0200 (CEST) || Alexandre Dulaunoy alex@conostix.com wrote:
ad> Is it an official statement for the German Government ?
It is a statement by the BMJ (German Ministry of Justice).
Other ministries are against software patents, others are undecided.
We're currently busy talking to the responsible people and try to make sure the "official governmental position" will be against software patents.
Regards, Georg
On Wed, 12 Jun 2002, Georg C. F. Greve wrote:
|| On Mon, 10 Jun 2002 17:13:22 +0200 (CEST) || Alexandre Dulaunoy alex@conostix.com wrote:
ad> Is it an official statement for the German Government ?
It is a statement by the BMJ (German Ministry of Justice).
Other ministries are against software patents, others are undecided.
We're currently busy talking to the responsible people and try to make sure the "official governmental position" will be against software patents.
Regards, Georg
The classical issue and the battle between ministries in the same country. The problem is that software patent is touching multiple area :
- Ministry of Economy
"Bad" point of view : The economy of a country via patents.
"Good" point of view : Small country can't compete with software patents and/or we are not a "productor" of software like the US.
- Ministry of Justice
"Bad" point of view : legal framework is necessary (following WTO-WIPO-TRIPS agreement)
"Good" point of view : legal framework difficult to apply as a country with some pression from big ones
- Ministry of Industry
"Bad" point of view : thinking in the old fashion : "Ah patents like the ones for the industrial processes,ok ... no probs"
"Good" point of view same~ as Ministry of Economy (young company...), impossible to create innovation
- Ministry of Scientific Research (Education)
"Bad" point of view : This could be a method for financing the research/education sector
"Good" point of view : No research is possible in Computer Science with software patents
Maybe we could add the ministry of social affair ? But with I see only a good point of view ;-)
Just some comment, I got when I talk against Software Patents.
comments ? ideas ?
adulau
-- Alexandre Dulaunoy http://www.foo.be/ AD993-RIPE http://www.ael.be/ "People who fight may lose. People who do not fight have already lost." - Bertolt Brecht