Hi, Software patents are threating the freedom of programmers and users of free software in Europe alike. If this becomes a reality then the Free Software Community will suffer a hard blow to say the least. So if you live in Europe please take this seriously, make your voice heard and tell all other satisfied users of free software products about it!
Thanks Detlev Excerpt from the Web-Page http://www.freepatents.org "On June 24 and 25 1999 in Paris, France, the member states of the Munchen convention are planning to legalize software patents in Europe. No study has been made by member states about the economic impact of legalizing software patents for independent software publishers and developers. Such a decision would create a lot of juridical uncertainty, playing havoc with the whole european independent software industry, obstructing competition and, in the mid term, slowing down innovation and investment in the software industry." If you don´t think that software patents are a `real´ problem then check out the story below about Microsoft patenting "The use of style sheets in eletronic publishing systems": http://www.slashdot.org/articles/99/02/04/169219.shtml Original message: From: Richard Stallman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Newsgroups: gnu.announce,gnu.misc.discuss Subject: Danger of software patents in Europe Followup-To: gnu.misc.discuss Date: Mon, 7 Jun 1999 12:26:33 -0600 (MDT) Organization: Massachvsetts Institvte of Technology Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: gnu-misc-discuss@gnu.org To: info-gnu@gnu.org, gnu-misc-discuss@gnu.org The GNU Project urges all computer users in Europe to take a look at www.freepatents.org, and then follow their recommendations for action, to help avert the danger of software patents in Europe. Please re-post this message widely in appropriate forums.
