Mobilising Ireland's SMEs (was: Re: [Fsfe-ie] FW: [Fwd: Software Patenting])

[Ciaran O'Riordan]

Mr. Ahern said:
> My Department consulted a wide range of stakeholders on the proposed 
> European Commission Directive on Computer Implemented Inventions 
> when it was published in 2002.  Broad support was expressed in the 
> replies.

Either the people he consulted were misinformed or coerced, or his sample
was biased.

I checked the UEAPME member list and found two Irish members.

Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association - ISME - www.isme.ie
Small Firms Association - SFA - www.sfa.org

And I sent them a mail, a copy is at the end of this mail.

Our lobbying at the MEP level has been very successful, but we lose when the
lobbying moves to national level.  This is where we need to work better.

> ICT Ireland, which represents the information and 
> communications technology sector, welcomed the measure when the 
> European Council formally adopted its Common Position on the 
> proposal in March, 2005.

We need to talk to ICT Ireland.  There is a good chance that they are
misinformed or coerced.

> It views the measure as providing valuable 
> clarification of existing patent law

Anyone that thinks clarification is provided by removing the definitions of
terms is probably misinformed.

> computer 
> programs as such would continue to be excluded from patentability.

They always have been.  It's the patenting of computer programs "as
processes [involving software, when executed on a computer...]" that are the
problem.


My mail to ISME:
=========8<--------------

[0] http://www.ifso.ie/
[1] http://www.fsfeurope.org/
[2] http://www.ueapme.org/docs/press_releases/pr_2005/050427_CIIcampaign.pdf


Hello,

My name is Ciarán O'Riordan, I'm a representative of Irish Free Software
Organisation[0], and of Free Software Foundation Europe[1].

I am working on Directive 2002/0047 "on the patentability of
computer-implemented inventions" (the "software patents" directive).

As ISME is a member of UEAPME, I suspect we have a common goal with regards
to this directive.  That is, as the recent UEAPME press release[2] said, that
"software patenting must be excluded under the directive".

In a recent communication, Minister Michael Ahern said that his department
was supporting the introduction of software patents into the EU because:

> My Department consulted a wide range of stakeholders on the proposed
> European Commission Directive on Computer Implemented Inventions
> when it was published in 2002.  Broad support was expressed in the
> replies.

So he's basing his actions on a perceived request from industry.

I would like Mr. Ahern to be made aware that the majority of Ireland's
software industry is made of SMEs, and that SMEs are opposed to software
patents.


Would it be possible for us to discuss this?

I can be reached by phone at 0032 479 549 295, or I can call you if that suits.


I have relocated to Brussels to work on this directive full-time, but if you
would like to meet with someone in person, another representative of Irish
Free Software Organisation may be able.


I look forward to hearing from you.
Ciarán O'Riordan
=========8<--------------

I'll let yous know how it develops.  Similar actions would be welcome.

-- 
Ciarán O'Riordan,
http://www.compsoc.com/~coriordan/                http://fsfe.org/Members/ciaran
                (My email address has changed from @member.fsf.org to @fsfe.org)