[Fsfe-ie] Fwd: Re: Meeting with local MP, suggestions welcome

Justin Mason jm at jmason.org
Thu May 20 15:26:46 CEST 2004


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James Heald writes:
> Ian Clarke suggested I copy this to the list
> -- on the best way to introduce swpat arguments to MPs:
> 
> Ian Clarke wrote:
> 
> > James,
> > 
> > It seems to me that raising the issue of open source / free software 
> > tends to obfuscate rather than illuminate the real issues.  My 
> > experience that speaking as an "innovator" is much more productive than 
> > getting into a discussion about the philosophy of free software versus 
> > proprietary, since both free and non-free software producers are 
> > threatened by software patents.
> > 
> > Do you have any comment on this?
> > 
> > Ian.
> > 
> 
> I think you're quite right.

Strongly agreed.

(in fact, IMO commercial software SMEs are in greater danger, as a
patent-infringement attack on open source projects would have much
greater PR side-effects for the attacker than an attack on a competitor
would.)

- --j.
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