[Lancaster] Open letter from Alan Cox

[Martyn Welch]

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Hi All,

- From http://www.linux.org.uk/open.l.html:


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...
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