From nicolas_pettiaux@usa.net  Wed Nov 15 06:45:45 2000
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000 07:45:45 +0100
From: Nicolas Pettiaux nicolas_pettiaux@usa.net
Subject: [Patents] Information action in Belgium about software patents

Brussels, 14 November 2000

Information action in Belgium about software patents at the Belgian Parli=
ament

3 Belgian representatives, Mrs Zoe Genot, Mr Yvan Mayeur and Mr Fran=E7oi=
s=20
Roelants du Vivier, with the logistics help from the Eurolinux Alliance,=20
organize an information session about software patents at the Belgian=20
parliament this Friday 17 November from 2.00 pm till 4.00 pm
(The room is: Salle du congr=E8s, Maison des parlementaires, 21 rue de Lo=
uvain=20
in Brussels)

The targeted audience is composed of : Belgian representatives (we call t=
hem=20
"d=E9put=E9s in French and "vertegenwoordigers" in Flemish), Belgian sena=
tors,=20
Belgian administrative directors and other decision makers, Belgian=20
journalists plus others from any country. Other representatives from the=20
European Parliament, decisions makers and journalists are welcome.

Like the conference that was organized by European=20
representative Gilles Savary at the European Parliament on 11th October 2=
000,=20
this conference aims at informing the decision makers before the Diplomat=
ic=20
Conference on 27th November 2000 in Munich that plans to =20
address the question of changing the Treaty that founded the European Pat=
ent=20
office, in order for example to allow for software patents.

More info on=20

http://www.european-patent-office.org/epo/dipl_conf/index.htm

about the Diplomatic conference in Munich on November 27,

and

http://www.dignatz.de/d/spotlight/eu_brussels_2000-10-11_docs_001.html

about the conference at the European Parliament on October 11.


The program for November 17 in Brussels is the following:=20

14.00 Welcome address by a Belgian representative,=20
14.05 Introduction by Prof Dr Ing Hermann Bruyninckx from the Katholieke=20
Universiteit te Leuven (the largest and oldest Belgian University),
14.15 Keynote: "Software Patents: The Economic Impact", a presentation by=
=20
German IT consultant Eitel Dignatz (Dignatz consulting),
15.00 "Patents and the software industry", a presentation by economists J=
ames=20
Bessen (Reserch on innovation) and Eric Maskin (Princeton University),
15.15 Questions to Mr Bessen and Maskin,
15.25 A Belgian perspective (speaker still to be defined)
15.40 Questions and discussion
15.55 Conclusion
16.00 End

Other speakers may be added. (The program may change to a later necessity=
)

It will most probably be impossible to have a live transmission on the we=
b=20
due to technical reasons. The conference will be recorded for later diffu=
sion.

A petition organized by the Eurolinux Alliance asking for a moratorium an=
d a=20
sound economic study before any vote has been signed by more than 50000=20
people (see http://petition.eurolinux.org).

It has been handed over to the Belgian Minister of Economy, Mr Charles=20
Picque, in charge of the questions related to patents and=20
intellectual property. It will also be offcially sent today to the Belgia=
n=20
Parliament that has a special commission in charge of dealing with petiti=
ons.

Please do not hesitate to spread the information around and to invite all=
=20
interested people who would like to attend and are a "targeted audience" =
to=20
register by sending an email to nicolas_pettiaux@usa.net.
(Registration is recommended for easy entrance)

Best regards,

On behalfe of the Inviters and Eurolinux,

Nicolas Pettiaux

--=20
Nicolas Pettiaux
Avenue du P=E9rou 29 - B-1000 Bruxelles
Email: nicolas_pettiaux@usa.net




