[SC.LUG] [Fwd: Please vote against software patents]

[Richard Smedley]

Hi,

I'm back from OSCon, and catching up on my mail - I'll
join some of the other threads later (it's good to see some
demand for a meeting).

Meanwhile, for those who want to keep the software
patents-debate high profile:

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Please vote against software patents
From:    "Norbert Bollow" <noswpat at bollow.ch>
Date:    Thu, October 20, 2005 10:14 pm
To:      richard at sc.lug.org.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Supporters of ThankPoland.info,

By thanking the Polish government for its courageous intervention against
software patents, you have already been very helpful (you may refer to
http://wiki.ffii.org/Sejm050216En for details and some pictures of the
"Thank Poland" ceremony which took place in Warsaw in February of this
year, in the Polish Parliament, Sejm.)

There is now a new and extremely similar opportunity to make a statement
against software patents by taking a minute to fill out a simple Internet
form.  The founder of the NoSoftwarePatents.com campaign, Florian Mueller,
is currently running in an Internet poll for the "European of the Year"
against such celebrities as U2 frontman Bono and politicians like
Schroeder, Merkel and Blair.  For voting recommendations and further
information, please click here:

http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/en/m/ev50/vote.html

When I was in Warsaw, I learned from Polish politicians that Florian's
NoSoftwarePatents.com campaign website has had a significant impact among
them.  Two Polish politicians have told me personally that they had
printed out information from NoSoftwarePatents.com and used it to inform
other politicians about the issue.  Florian, who had come to Warsaw for
the "Thank Poland" ceremony, also played a key role during the press
conference  afterwards.

In view of all this, I have no doubt that Florian deserves to win those
"Campaigner of the Year" and "European of the Year" awards.  There is a
realistic chance that we can, by voting for him on the Internet, make him
the new "European of the Year", which would demonstrate to politicians,
the press and the public that software patents are highly unpopular. 
Hence, every vote for Florian is a strong vote for freedom from software
patents.

It is necessary to vote for one candidate in each of the ten categories.
Florian is running in two of them, and there are also other categories in
which we can support those who opposed software patents and vote against
those who wanted to make software legally patentable in Europe.

Best regards,

Norbert Bollow

P.S.  Everyone can participate in this Internet poll, including
      non-Europeans.  On the NoSoftwarePatents.com site, texts (and
banners) are available in more than a dozen languages.  You can also
send emails to make friends aware of this Internet referendum.

      Today, five celebrities from the world of free and open-source
software (Richard Stallman, Tim O'Reilly, Alan Cox, Rasmus Lerdorf
and Monty Widenius) also called on their supporters to vote for
Florian:
      http://www.ag-ip-news.com/GetArticle.asp?Art_ID=2254&lang=en