The Eurolinux petition for software patent-free Europe with more than 400 000 supporters expired. We ask you to sign a new petition:
http://petition.stopsoftwarepatents.eu
Eurolinux endorses Stopsoftwarepatents.eu because soft patents are still land mines for software development and stifle innovators. Under the EU Lisbon treaty a new instrument is set into force, the European Citizens' Initiative. The EU-Commission is now obliged to present a legislative proposal when a critical mass of citizens demands it. We want to rebuild our platform to get a new directive which bans software patenting once and for all.
.... Soft Patenting Bubble ....
After Parliament rejected Bolkestein's Software Patent Directive, EU-Commissioner McCreevy refused to propose a new one to ban soft patenting. Instead, he deregulated financial markets. The European Patent Office ignored Parliament's demands, and continued to consolidate its soft patent granting business. Today we face an unprecedented patent bubble of poisonous software and business methods patents. Most patents are stockpiled for strategic purposes. These poisonous assets generate no measurable benefits or insignificant licensing revenue for their holders. Large industry is aware of a patent inflation crisis but it seems too hard to march to the beat of a different drum.
.... Sustaining the Patent Bubble ....
Patent officials cover up that for patent holders soft patent assets are of limited commercial value. They are well informed that patent law is strictly territorial but nevertheless put the Chinese down as scape goats: 'yellow perils' are said to 'steal' and 'undermine' our 'intellectual property'. Patent officials sacrifice good governance, democratic principles, and digital liberties to sustain a profitable patent bubble. With these smoke screens patent officials want to get their own European court for patent enforcement and validation of software patents.
By design the projected court would strengthen the European Patent Office to grant even softer patents and keep patenting away from the European Court of Justice and our legislators, and empower a selected group of presupposed 'technical experts'. Other distractions include customs measures, stronger civil and criminal sanctions against patent infringements, policy laundry as the Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement (ACTA), trade pressure for software patenting in emerging states like India and Mexico.
.... New Commission has to take action ....
This year new EU-Commissioners enter office. They will tackle the fallout of the financial crisis and the upcoming patent bubble burst. They can break with past ideology and overcome the patent crisis with small reform steps but more likely they would continue to support sinophobia, enforcement distraction, software patents validation and patent office autocracy. The later the patent bubble bursts the harder the landing. At this stage Europe's sustainable Linux ecosystem and small & medium sized software manufacturers suffer from non-practicing raiders ("patent trolls") and uninsurable risks.
... Platform building for Digital Change ....
Digital rights associations walk the corridors in Brussels and Strasbourg for a better digital environment. Eurolinux recommends to support their activities: your attention and support, your financial contributions or membership is helpful.
.... Eurolinux ....
Eurolinux advocates policies which lead to European Digital Independence: Full-scale Linux migration, market order & interoperability enforcement, mandatory open standards, abolition of software patenting, and sustainable public investments in Linux development for the preservation of our digital liberties. Software from the public sector ought to be licensed as free and open source software (FLOSS) to promote job creation, skills development and re-use in Europe. Eurolinux aims to overcome strategic dependencies of our critical information infrastructure which put Europeans at risk.
Thankfully,
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Eurolinux Group
http://eurolinux.org