[Sheflug] Patent Office Consultation Paper

[Richard Ibbotson <xxxxx [at] xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi

The UKUUG - www.ukuug.org - are circulating this at the moment.  If 
you want to make a comment to the appropriate authority please do 
that....

----------  Forwarded Message  ----------

Subject: Patent Office Consultation Paper
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 10:30:07 +0100
From: UKUUG Administration 


The UK patent office has put out a consultation paper on patents. 
 This is in response to EU legislation on the harmonisation of EU
 copyright laws.

This can pose a danger to Open Source and liberties in general.  We
 need to speak out to moderate it.

This is a law that will happen, what we have is the opportunity to
remove some of the teeth that we don't like, eg: preventing use of
'Unauthorised Decoders' - this could stop you viewing a DVD film
 using your Linux box; prevent criminalising circumventing
 technological protections for disabled access (eg e-book
 'reader/speaker'), compatibility (think Samba), research, etc.

Writing to the patent office is one thing to do, the other is to
 write to your MP.

See:

http://www.patent.gov.uk/about/consultations/eccopyright/index.htm

Remember - your views DO count.

Typically only a few hundred people reply to a government
 consultation paper such as this.

Reply deadline 31 Oct - but they want them ASAP.

You may find your member of parliament:

http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/alms.htm

To find out more and some of the background?

http://www.ffii.org/index.en.html
http://uk.eurorights.org/issues/eucd/

The current Linux Weekly News also headlines some interesting
 articles on this topic:

http://lwn.net/Articles/6998/


UKUUG Secretariat
PO Box 37
Buntingford
Herts SG9 9UQ
Tel:  01763 273475
www.ukuug.org

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