Re: [Patents] Openforumeurope.org clarifies swpat position

[Hartmut Pilch <phm@a2e.de>]

On Fri, 9 May 2003, Carsten Svaneborg wrote:

> Hi!
>
> OpenForum Europe's position is that a lack of clarity about the intent
> and purpose of software patents would be potentially even more damaging
> to the interests of European software developers. Our focus is to ensure

This sounds as if Carsten Svaneborg was speaking for "OpenForum Europe".
Can't be true.
What's going on here?

> that as much as possible is done to ensure that any patents are carefully
> granted and not used in anti-competitive ways; in particular they should
> not be used to prevent the development of Open Source alternatives to
> proprietary products. It is this respect that we are supporting the positive
> revisions proposed in Arlene McCarthy's opinion now being considered
> by the European Parliament for the granting of patents.

I'd be interested to hear which "positive revisions" they are referring
to.  I can't find any.

Also, they still do not list who their constituents or members are but
only abstractly refer to them as "OSS companies".

When they say that they represent "no evangelism, just hard business
sense", that should mean that they are deliberately apolitical.  By
entering the swpat legislation discussion, they again choose to be
political.

There is a saying by G.B. Shaw saying something like

        When someone stresses that he is being a "realist", you can know
        that somewhere inside he is ashamed of his actions.

The "no evangelism" statements found on the openforumeurope.org webpage
seemed to indicate this ashamedness right from the start.  Attempts at
gnu-political correctness ("GNU/Linux") in the press release make their
"strict business sense" claim even hollower, or they show what
self-proclaimed "realism" usually is:  opportunism (unwillingness to stand
up for public interest) clothed in an excuse ("I am not responsible for my
behavior.  I am only codifying the status quo.  Please give hand me a bowl
of water so I can wash my hands in innocence.")

Does anyone have the real Shaw quote ?