Be Heard: How to fax your MEP's online

04 Jul 05

Yesterday afternoon i wrote to all my local MEP's (about 10) using the most excellent Write To Them (UK) site, which stefan over at whitelabel helped to put up a while back. It makes it easy to fax/email all your local representatives. On Mac OS X you can also fax any pdf out to whichever number you please (check 'Print' in any application).

What was i faxing all these people? My views on the European Software Directive which is up for the vote at the European Parliament this week. Tomorrow (Tuesday 5th July) to be precise. I had to cram it between a load of work so i only had to time to write this, but hopefully it will be read by my local reps, because i'm a member of their constituency (it's pretty pointless faxing/email any rep outside your constituency - you will largely be ignored):

anil bawa the trot, woodcote road epsom surrey KT18 7QS Phone: [MY PHONE NUMBER] Email: anil@quotesque.net

Monday 04 July 2005

Dear [MEP'S NAME],

I am writing to express my concern regarding the Software Patents
Directive, as approved by the European Council of Ministers, which is
up for a vote either on Tuesday 5th July, or the following day.
I believe the directive could have severe consequences for those
working in my field of software development.

It will particularly threaten the growth and existence of startups and
smaller software companies, which would otherwise see a very fruitful
period over the next ten years.

I am a young, self-employed software developer and British Citizen. I
have ambitions and goals whose very existence are threatened by this
directive, for needless and economically unsound reasons. I believe the
Directive could crush what may turn out to be a wave of entrepeneurial
activity in the field of European software.

I would urge you to consider the position of the foundation for a free
information infrastructure ( http://ffii.org/ ) on this issue, and take
a quick look at the history of Software licensing, where
straight-forward copyright has worked thoroughly well so far.

In particular, I am writing to voice my support, as a professional in
this field, to the proposed Buzek-Roccard-Duff amendments to the bill.
These are summarized at

http://wiki.ffii.org/AmPlenSummary05En

And can be seen in full on the European Parliament page

http://www2.europarl.eu.int/sce/server/internet/amend_motions_texts/
sce_amend_motions_texts_main_02.jsp?ref=A6-0207/2005

Thanks for your time.

Anil Bawa


anil says

I got my first response:

"I will be voting against"

8 to go.

anil says

Another one:

"Dear Mr Bawa, [INSERT POLITICAL PARTY] will be voting for the 21 Rocard
amendments - which I believe Mr Smith is referring to - and also for a
rejection amendment, which would stop the directive entirely."

anil says

Dear Mr. Bawa,

Thank you for your email regarding the Computer Implemented Inventions
Directive.

You should be by now aware that,
a) The members of the European Parliament (including [MEP NAME])
overwhelmingly rejected the directive and the amendments.
b) Neither the directive nor any amendments to it could prevent the
European Patent Office (which is not subject to the Commission or
Parliament) from granting patents relating to computer implemented
inventions generally (as distinct from programs as such).

The result of this is that the status quo currently remains in relation to
the issue.

anil bawa says

Another response:

"Many thanks for your e-mail. As you may be aware, the European
Parliament unanimously rejected the Directive on Computer Implemented
Inventions. My colleagues and I think that this was the best
option at the time given the uncertainty of the wording in the Council
common position and in the amendments that were put before us.

Following this vote, the European Parliament has invited the Commission
and the European Council of Ministers, as a priority, to reach an
agreement on the Community patent. Until this has been done, we see no
advantage in introducing a sectoral law for computer implemented
inventions without a framework of an EU wide patent.

We don't want software patents, but I do believe however, that we need
clear and concise legislation to protect our innovators and the
financial rewards that such developments may bring. To drive enterprise,
we need to end this uncertainty over patents and pass clear legislation
to push and promote innovation, not to harness it any way."