[Openstandaarden] URGENT: Shorter Press Release from Openstandaarden.be

[Wim Deprez]

Henrion Benjamin wrote:
> Can someone translate this PR from NL to EN and FR?
> 
> http://www.openstandaarden.be/pipermail/openstandaarden/2004-April/004925.html
> 
> URGENT!
> 

Hi,

i noticed that still nobody reacted to this post (or am i wrong? the 
internet is borked here lately...), so i tried to translate the PR to 
English. if the attachment doesn't work well, you can find it as well on 
http://lumumba.luc.ac.be/wim/work/pressrelease20040414.txt .

my English is not very well, but i gave it a try, hope it is not too bad.

Many kind greetings and success,

    --wim

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press release "Softwarepatenten.be"

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14/04/04: Once again massive demonstrations against software patents
====================================================================

During the Irish chairmanship of the EU is the proposed directive
about software patents returned to the political level. Due to a
document that simply cancels the former adjustments made by the
European Parliament, the proponents and opponents of software patents
are back in discussion. Besides an online strike of webpages, the
demonstraters out of the whole EU will display their displeasure this
Wednesday (the 14th of April) in Brussels.

The Irish sent the case back to CoRePer on the 6th of April. That
committee, composed of permanent representatives of the EU countries,
is traditionally known as the place to be for haggling about hard
dossiers.

As a response, the campaigners (proponents and opponents of software
patents) mobilize their allies at the Commission or the Parliament.
The sympathizers of the Parliament have announced a day of massive
actions in Brussels on Wednesday, the 14th of April. The highlight
will be a conference in the building of the European Parliament.

Besides that, they ask their partisans to participate at a "webstrike".
Websites will then be closed down to demonstrate the results of software
patents, before it's too late. Also a march in the European district is
an item on the agenda.

Recently the head of Nokia's patent department distributed a letter
where he criticized the text of the European Parliament. He claims that
innovative companies would need software patents to earn back their
investments. Hartmut Pilch, chairman of FFII, disputes this:

"This looks like a desperate attempt to strengthen the misconceptions
of people who are not familiar with the ICT sector.

All known economical studies, included those who are instructed by the
European Commission and the EU countries, proved that software patents
only fulfil a second-class role at earning back the research funds.
More important are the copyright, professional secrecy, complexity,
networkeffects and the possibility to react fast and customer minded.

The investments in patents have actually leaded to a decline of the
available research funds and even removal from the investments by
Research & Development within this sector. This is concluded from the
most detailed studies and confirmed by managers."

The program of events on the 14th of April is:

10:00  press conference at the European Parliament, room AG2
11:30  demonstration, actions and lectures in front of the
       building of the European Parliament
14:00  conference with politicians, scientists and managers at
       the European Parliament, room AG2

A detailed overview of the manifestations can be found at:

   http://plone.ffii.org/events/2004/bxl04/prep/
   http://demo.ffii.org/

More information about the present situation:
   
   http://www.softwarepatenten.be/raad

Photographs of the demonstration, free of copyright, will
be available from Wednesday at:

   http://wiki.ael.be/index.php/Demo14and15aprilPictures

=========================================================================