The battle for/against software patents is likely to come to a conclusion around May. Give support to the organisations that defend your freedom! Write to your MEP! Read the herewith attached mail!
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- Subject: Europarl Hearing on Software Patents
- From: phm@xxxxxxxx
- Date: 15 Apr 2003 16:43:58 -0000
Dear Eurolinux Petition Supporter, Thank you for signing our Petition for a Software Patent Free Europe http://petition.eurolinux.org/ a while ago, and for allowing us to inform you about upcoming actions.[1] We now need your participation again. The European Parliament is likely to ratify a Software Patent Directive, possibly with helpful amendments, in May. Detailed news are found at http://swpat.ffii.org/news/index.en.html Your participation can have a decisive influence. Here are a few things to do: (1) Sign our Amendment Proposals by clicking http://petition.ffii.org/eubsa/en or, if you already have a user ID, by logging in at http://petition.ffii.org/ and then navigating through "Signing Appeals". (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, how they think and whom they follow, and inform us by leaving a "Confidential Note". It is very important that MEPs hear *your* voice directly and not just the voices of a few "Eurolinux lobbyists". (4) Write to the person with whom you just phoned. Consider backing up your letter by a page on your website. Keep it simple, but feel free to ask for our assistance in formulating. In any case, send us copies/pointers. (5) 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. There will also be a demonstration in front of the parliament building. Please consider speaking at the hearing, if you can speak for a company. Companies from Eastern Europe (future member countries) are also (and even particularly) welcome. Contact us for details. Information about the event schedule is being published at http://swpat.ffii.org/events/2003/europarl/ and you can register as a participant through the petition.ffii.org web forms. (6) 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. For brevity, we are writing in English only this time, but we will try to answer your questions or replies in the language of your choice. Yours sincerely Mit freundlichen Gruessen Amicalement kore, adios, ciao, groeten, na schledanou, saygilar, ...
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