[dundee] Fwd: Open letter from Alan Cox

[Simon Wells]

Martin Habets wrote:

>I'm normally not much into politics, but here are some words from Alan Cox... 
>Guess it's time to make up your minds.
>
>Martin
>
>PS: Is there a LUG meeting next monday? Any topics yet? What happened to those SUN
>machines we played with 2 or 3 months ago?
>
>  
>
>>Hi all,
>>
>>Apparently this open letter has not been mentioned on many UK lists yet, so I
>>thought it might be worth posting it here, so people are aware of its
>>existence.
>>
>>The original link is:
>>
>>http://www.linux.org.uk/open.l.html
>>
>>- ----------  Forwarded Message  ----------
>>
>>Subject: [Leicester] Open Letter from Alan Cox
>>Date: Monday 31 May 2004 15:17
>>From: Clive Jones <clive at tux-it.co.uk>
>>To: Leicester Linux User Group Mailing List <leicester at mailman.lug.org.uk>
>>
>>- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>>Hash: SHA1
>>
>>An Open Letter On Software Patents and EU Election
>>
>>"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do
>>it."
>>- - -- Gandhi
>>
>>Most of the time the ability to influence Politicians is remarkably limited.
>>They ignore letters, and often all the major parties reflect only large
>>proprietary interests, ensuring you get CDs that won't play in a car,
>>arrested for helping the blind read protected ebooks and prevented from
>>writing and using software by the patent lobby, intent on locking up
>>technical creativity the same way the soviets locked up the typewriter.
>>
>>In about a week you get an opportunity to send the EU politicians a message
>>they cannot ignore - but sadly only 18% of UK citizens will bother to do so.
>>While most British people would like to ignore the EU, the simple fact is
>>that it is the EU that passed the EUCD, it is the EU that can fight software
>>patents and it is the EU that is currently working to create even more
>>draconian "intellectual property rights" laws.
>>
>>This letter is aimed at the other 82% of hackers, open source enthusiasts, or
>>just people who want the rights to use CD's they paid for fairly and
>>honestly. That little piece of cardboard is your chance to call the EU to
>>account, and thanks to the EU voting system you can make a difference, in
>>fact you count five fold due to the expected low turnout.
>>
>>There are two parties that are fundmanetally opposed to things like Software
>>Patents.The Green-EFA alliance (Green Party, Plaid Cymru and friends) have
>>been fighting the patent fight from the beginning including organising events
>>in Brussels, as well as fighting to make the EU more democratic (to stop
>>unelected Beaurocrats overturning the will of the parliament). The UKIP (UK
>>Independance Party) is opposed on the ground that EU legislation like
>>software patents clogs up British business and harms Britain as a sovereign
>>nation. Unlike our parliamentary elections the EU voting system means it is
>>not a two horse race.
>>
>>To defeat software patents now needs an absolute majority in the parliament.
>>That is going to be hard to achieve, but you get to adjust the make up of the
>>parliament, and every vote is going to count.
>>
>>Please, if you were not going to vote, either vote for the UKIP or Green-EFA
>>alliance members. Ideally pick the one of the two that is most likely to win
>>in your area, but if you have philosophical reasons for favouring one of the
>>two (such as a dislike of the EU) please go vote for the one you favour.
>>These are the people who will have to decide how to fix the EUCD, these are
>>the people who will have to decide on Software Patents. Whether you believe
>>in the EU or not, the people you vote for (or the pro patent, pro DRM people
>>who will get in by default if you do not vote) will dictate your future
>>rights.
>>
>>The turnout in the UK is expected to be 18%. That favours anyone who can
>>mobilize and get out and vote. It's a one off opportunity to kick the
>>pro-patent lobby somewhere that hurts.
>>
>>Vote, get your friends and families to vote, get LUGs to vote en-masse. Call
>>out the troops - it's payback time...
>>
>>
>>Alan Cox
>>    
>>
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>  
>
We are still identifying topics for a meeting. A notice will probably go 
out later on today to advertise. The sparcstations are sitting under my 
desk right now next to their new friend, the Sun SPARCserver 670MP that 
I obtained recently.
Simon