[Patents] Re: [Patents] Re: [Patents] About 'cute' campaign

[Jean-Paul Smets jp@smets.com]

Bernard Lang wrote:
> 
> On Thu, Dec 30, 1999 at 09:52:03PM +0100, Krzysztof Sobolewski wrote:
> > Anyway, campaign IS NECESSARY to do the things I've described - to raise
> > public awareness about the threat posed by patents to IT and programmers,
> > and NOT to publically discuss about the "source vs binary", and similiar
> > details, which are understandable only for us - programmers and lawyers
> > (like Blue Ribbon wasn't intended to discuss about the provisions of
> > CDA, but abolition of CDA and censorship at all).
> 
> right
> 
> >   And I'm sure that we really COULD convince patent legislators to our
> > rights,
> 
> wrong
> 
> most of them could not care less ... they are interested in power, not
> in fairness, and not even in good economics ... else they would have
> made the effort of studying the issues, which NONE OF THEM has done.
> 

Still, we are lucky in France : our state secretary of industry
Christian Pierret said "one should proceed with care regarding software
patents and their economic impact should be studdied, in particular
regarding free software". 

In such case, it is possible to require the French Administration to the
their job the way they should.

I would be useful to have other politicians say the same thing as what
Pierret said. This would at least show to their administration that they
(politicians) are interested in taking fair decisions rather than
decisions that do not hurt powerful companies.

JPS.