(From Software Patents list)
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: [Patents] Form for demonstrating opposition to software patents Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2003 12:10:14 +0100 From: Alex Macfie alex@cgce.net To: patents patents@aful.org
As you know, the plenary debate in the European Parliament on whether Software Patents are to be permitted in the EU is likely to take place starting on the 30th of June, giving us just a few days to demonstrate the strength of feeling over the damage that could be done to innovation and competition in the European software industry if software patents are permitted.
The form at http://freenetproject.org/eusp/index.php, designed by Ian Clarke of FreenetProject http://www.freenetproject.org/, presents small to medium sized software development firms with an opportunity to express their concern over this issue. This will be distributed to MEPs to make them aware of how SMEs feel about the issue.
"Ian Clarke" ian@freenetproject.org James Heald j.heald@ucl.ac.uk, Alex Hudson home@alexhudson.com, Nick Hill nick@nickhill.co.uk, Richard Clark richard@elysium.demon.co.uk, Alex Macfie alex@cgce.net
Alex Macfie www.cgce.net alex@cgce.net Trewarren, Llanddewi Rhydderch, Abergavenny, Gwent NP7 9UT "The exclusive right to invention [is] given not of natural right, but for the benefit of society." -- Thomas Jefferson