[Flug] European Parliament to legalise software patents, SMEs invited (fwd)

[Franco Bagnoli]

Forse l'avete già ricevuta... Potremmo oranizzare una raccolta di fondi e 
mandare qualche lettera. 

-- 
Franco Bagnoli (franchino) <franco.bagnoli@unifi.it> (bagnoli@dma.unifi.it)
virtual location: Dipartimento di Energetica "S. Stecco"
real location: Dip. Matematica Applicata "G. Sansone", Universita' Firenze,
Via S. Marta, 3 I-50139 Firenze, Italy. Tel. +39 0554796422, fax: +39 055471787
GPG Key fingerprint = 169D 9EA5 8FD3 7EDA E43A  9830 255F BCEC 0D63 3728

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri,  4 Apr 2003 11:38:03 +0200 (CEST)
From: PILCH Hartmut <phm@a2e.de>
To: bagnoli@dma.unifi.it
Subject: European Parliament to legalise software patents, SMEs invited

Dear Corporate Supporter,

Thank you for signing the 

	Petition for a Software Patent Free Europe
	http://petition.eurolinux.org/

a while ago.

We now need your support again.

The European Parliament is likely to ratify a Software Patent
Directive, possibly with helpful amendments, in May or June.  Detailed
news are found at

	http://swpat.ffii.org/news/index.en.html

The Green and Liberal Fractions of the European Parliament are calling
on representatives of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) to speak at a
hearing on May 8th about the Software Patent Directive Project.

Please consider speaking at this hearing.  We particularly welcome
representatives of SMEs from future EU countries in Eastern Europe.

Everybody in Brussels is speaking about SMEs, SMEs, SMEs.  But the
SMEs are phantoms, they are never there.  Instead lobbyists are
speaking on behalf of SMEs.  Quite a few are demanding software
patents on behalf of SMEs.

As a real SME, you are sure to get attention.

Consider spending some time now instead of spending a lot on patent
litigation and monopoly software later on.

Here are a few simple things to do:

(1) Endorse our Amendment Proposals by clicking

	http://petition.ffii.org/eubsa/en

(2) Now you are logged into a system which makes it easy to
    select and contact Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)
  
    Click
	
      ==> My MEPs 
      ==> I would rather select an MEP myself 
      ==> [ selection criteria ] 
      ==> [ 1 MEP ]

(3) Directly phone your MEP, express your concern about the
    "Software Patent Directive Project", find out who in this MEP's
    office is studying the matter and how they think / whom they
    follow, and leave a note in the MEP data form.

(4) Write to the person with whom you just phoned.
    Feel free to ask for our assistance in formulating your letter.
    In any case, send us a copy.

(5) Make a donation for our lobbying expenses.  We are spending at least
    30,000 EUR on top of a lot of unpaid voluntary work, and we will not
    be able to pay all our bills unless you come forward with donations.

    The bank account for a donation is 

        Germany
	Bank Code 70150000
	S.W.I.F.T.: SSKM DE MM
	Bank Address: DE 80335 München Lotstr 1
	Name of Bank: Stadtsparkasse München
	Account: 31112097
	Account Owner: FFII e.V.
        Keyword: europarl

It would be great if you could get started with at least one of the
above items right now.

Thank you very much.

-- 
Hartmut Pilch, FFII & Eurolinux Alliance              tel. +49-89-12789608   
Protecting Innovation against Patent Inflation	     http://swpat.ffii.org/
140,000 signatures against software patents          http://noepatents.org/