---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 11:22:45 +0100 (CET)
From: petition eurolinux.org
To: b.binder dkfz-heidelberg.de
Subject: Let the EC know what you think about software patents
Dear Sir,
Dear Madam,
The European Commission is currently researching the economic impact >of
software patents. For quite obvious reasons, many patent attorneys >and
IP lawyers who earn money through the patent system are currently >lobbying
the European Commission in favor of a broad extension of the patent >system
to software, business methods, intellectual methods, etc.
Unless you express your own opinion, only their opinion will be taken >into
account in the decision process, whatever the consequences on your
>business,
whatever the consequences on innovation.
It is therefore very important and urgent, if you consider software
>patents
to be more harmful than useful, to send your opinion by email to:
consultation eurolinux.org
as soon as possible and, in any case, before December 15th, 2000. You
can write in the official language of any member country of the >European
Union.
Your email will then be forwarded to the European Commission and >published
on
the EuroLinux Web in order to make sure that your point of view is taken
into
consideration:
http://petition.eurolinux.org/consultation
There is currently a consensus among economists on the fact that >software
patents tend to stifle innovation and harm small and medium >enterprises
because they create tremendous juridical uncertainty which only >benefits
to
patent attorneys and lawyers. There is also a consensus among patent
attorneys on the fact that patents on business methods are just a >kind of
software patents and that it is impossible to ban business method >patents
once software patents become legal.
Please write serious (but not necessarily long) emails, with a >consistent
analysis based on economics, technology or real world examples from >your
everyday practice. Here are a few advice for your email to reach >maximal
impact
within the European Commission:
1- NO POLITICS - Do not include in your emails any political >analysis.
Otherwise, certain civil servants at the European Commission will >pretend
that
you are politically biased and claim that your arguments are >irrelevant.
2- FREE MARKET RHETORICS - Use rhetorics based on free market,
competition, innovation, entrepreneurship, SMEs and property, just as >if
you
were the chief of the federation of enterprises in your country. >EuroLinux
has
experienced that "free market economy" is currently the only common
>language
which most civil servants at the European Commission understand. In >order
to
let them understand your point of view and take it into account, it >is
compulsory to speak their language. Arguments based on epistemology,
>ethics or
history are acceptable but have in general no positive impact on the
>European
Commission because only few people will understand them.
3- DAVOS COMPATIBLE - Imagine that you are introducing your >point of
view at the Davos Economic Forum in front of CEOs who will only >listen to
you
if your arguments mean more profits to them. Incidentally, many
>Commissioners
at the European Commission used to be members of the steering >committee of
the
Davos Economic Forum.
4- CONSENSUS AMONG ECONOMISTS - Always mention that there is a
consensus among economists on the fact that software patents harm
>innovation.
Please understand that our advice does not represent any political >point
of
view of the EuroLinux Alliance and is strictly designed at helping >you to
present your arguments in such way that they are going to be taken >into
account by the European Commission.
For more information on software patents, please read our knowledge
database and follow the links:
http://petition.eurolinux.org/consultation
http://petition.eurolinux.org/pr/pr5.html
If you need inspiration to write your own statement, you may also >access
our
statements database where 100 European companies have already >published
position statements:
http://petition.eurolinux.org/statements
Best regards,
EuroLinux Alliance
petition eurolinux.org
http://petition.eurolinux.org