FSFE Newsletter

Rui Miguel Silva Seabra rms at 1407.org
Mon Jan 7 15:05:20 UTC 2008


On Mon, Jan 07, 2008 at 07:32:19AM -0500, simo wrote:
> On Thu, 2008-01-03 at 15:42 +0000, Rui Miguel Silva Seabra wrote:
> > On Mon, Dec 17, 2007 at 09:02:24PM +0100, Free Software Foundation Europe wrote:
> > > 8. FSFE revisiting software patent information
> > > 
> > > We have begun to revisit the published information on out webpages.
> > > There is increasing discussion of software patents within the institutions,
> > > so we are revising the information published on out website.  Some updates
> > > are already online, and in the coming weeks, we will continue to provide
> > > more documentation about the current status as well as summaries of what was
> > > learned and what has already happened.
> > > 
> > >   http://www.fsfeurope.org/projects/swpat
> > 
> > Please increase collaboration with FFII on this subject.
> > 
> > The semi-disaster of the Microsoft-vs-CE result
> 
> Why do you call it a disaster? Just for the patents problem? Or is there
> anything else?

The patents problem.

> >  is still producing the
> > image that Microsoft's software patents are valid *in*Europe*.
> 
> It's not the EC that is making this possible, it is the EPO that is
> releasing patents to Microsoft.

With full support from EC, as usual.

> Actually if you think it through you can argue that if the commission
> forced MS to license their patents for a flat fee, that would constitute
> much more recognition that such patents were valid,

*YES* this is *THE* principal problem.

> However you put it, you can make the EC look good or bad equally. The
> only way not to "fall" in the patents trap would be to ignore them
> completely. But you can't, as in some countries there are valid patents
> and it is much better to be given the option to have a license for these
> countries than being barred from selling products/services there.

EC has no right to speak for those countries, only Europe. The Microsoft
vs EC result is a sham.

Rui

-- 
You are what you see.
Today is Boomtime, the 7th day of Chaos in the YOLD 3174
+ No matter how much you do, you never do enough -- unknown
+ Whatever you do will be insignificant,
| but it is very important that you do it -- Gandhi
+ So let's do it...?



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