<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div><span>So, what can be done about this? Personally I feel that I'd like to write to someone about it. Has anyone set up a campaign? I do write programs but they are usually to drive a web site, for personal use, rather than desktop applications. I don't feel that I have a sufficient grasp of the facts and implications that someone who works in the field, or is a developer of FOSS would have.</span></div><div><br><span></span></div><div><span>I think that if a campaign doesn't already exist to fight such legislation then I think that this is something that Avaaz might take up, but it would need someone who could put forward clear arguments in a submission to them. </span></div><div><span>A few individuals writing to a few MPs is unlikely to work as MPs will be usually be non-technical and have probably been bombarded with
propaganda from companies with commercial interests.</span></div><div><br><span></span></div><div><span>Brian<br></span></div><div><br></div> <div style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div dir="ltr"> <font face="Arial" size="2"> <hr size="1"> <b><span style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span></b> Robert Burrell Donkin <robertburrelldonkin@gmail.com><br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> bradford <Bradford@mailman.lug.org.uk> <br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Saturday, 7 July 2012, 10:30<br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> [Bradford] UK Government Moves To Legislate Against Free Software<br> </font> </div> <br>Major highlights (from a Free Software perspective) of legislation to<br>be introduced in the Autumn:<br><br>* Works published under a pseudonym
will cease to be copyrightable<br>* Unless every contributor to a Free Software product<br> * is easily identifiable and contactable<br> * then for a small administrative fee the government will issue a<br>new license for the work under more acceptable terms<br> * opts out of a collective rights agreement<br> * then a collective rights organisation will be allowed to<br>collect commercial fee from every user of that software in the UK<br>* Copyright will not be effectively enforceable unless I pay to have<br>each and every version registered with a Digital Exchange, which will<br>then commercial charge fees for use<br><br>As a creator of FOSS, this effectively abolishes my rights to license<br>as pleases me and to limit my liability.<br><br>And yes, the government was informed about the potential impact on the<br>software sector<br><br>Apparently my "moral rights" will be not be effected by this change<br>since
those who profit from my work will have to retain some form of<br>attribution<br><br>Robert<br><br>_______________________________________________<br>Bradford mailing list<br><a ymailto="mailto:Bradford@mailman.lug.org.uk" href="mailto:Bradford@mailman.lug.org.uk">Bradford@mailman.lug.org.uk</a><br><a href="https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/bradford" target="_blank">https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/bradford</a><br><br><br> </div> </div> </div></body></html>