Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2003 19:00:59 +0800 From: "Alan G. Alegre" <alalegre@fma.ph> Subject: [communication 851] Fw: Petition for a Software Patent Free Europe To: "wsis-asia" <communication@wsisasia.org> Message-Id: <025201c37078$53eaf780$fd00a8c0@fma> X-Mail-Count: 00851FYI, from Amnesty International----- Original Message ----- From: CMacMaho@amnesty.org To: ITGen@amnesty.org Sent: Monday, September 01, 2003 5:51 PMSubject: Petition for a Software Patent Free EuropeAll, Some of you may be aware that there is a petition going round =for a Software Patent Free Europe. This has been instigated by this =proposal for a European Community Directive on patents, including =software patents: http://swpat.ffii.org/papers/eubsa-swpat0202/ The worry amongst the Open Source community is that this could seriously =affect how Open Source software is created, and licensed. The domino =affect of this could be that users of open source software, including =the Charity arena (e.g. Database Team in I.S., Amnesty International is =a big user of Open Source software, as I would say many other sections =in AI) would have to consider not using Open Source Software, and move =to commercial vendors with a knock-on cost hike. If you would like to read up more on the issues and the petition, or =even to sign it, please follow this link: http://petition.eurolinux.org/index_html?LANG=en Best regards,Conor MacMahonemail: cmacmaho@amnesty.orgphone: +44 (0)20 - 7413 5778Java Analyst/Programmer, Database Team, IT Program, International =Secretariat, Amnesty International851_2.html (attatchment)(tag is disabled)