[Fsfe-uk] URGENT (swpat): Graham Watson MEP needs to hear from scared SMEs

[Alex Hudson]

Hi all,

I was sent this by James Heald. If you can at all possibly help, please do -
it seems this issue is a lot more urgent than previously thought. Feel free
to also forward this to anyone else who you think may be able to help.

Cheers,

Alex.

----- Forwarded message from James Heald <address@hidden> -----

From: James Heald <address@hidden>

Jeff,

Following the recent pubmeet on patents you organised in Cambridge, I
was wondering if I could beg your help on this.

(I'm also cc'ing other people who I hope can help).

I've had a message from Erik Josefson, who's on the spot in Brussels
trying to head off the software patents directive, can we urgently find
SMEs who are worried about software patents to contact Graham Watson
MEP.

> He needs to be called by SMEs who say
> 
> 1. we are n employees (n as large as possible)
> 
> 2. we have a turnover of XX EUR.
> 
> 3. we are damaged/threatened by patents.

It is looking increasingly likely that the full plenary debate in the
parliament is going to take place in the session starting 30 June -- ie
only ten days away.

This gives very little time to educate MEPs, and next to no time to file
amendments.

It looks as though there is no chance of any kind of exemption for Open
Source.  The question is whether there are going to be any effective
limits placed on patentability.  If the plenary goes the same way as
Tuesday's committee vote, the answer will be no.

Graham Watson is the group leader of the European Liberals, who will be
having a group meeting very soon to work out how they are going to vote,
and which amendments they need to put down.


Watson's contact details are:

Office PHS 55 C7, European Parliament, Rue Wiertz, B-1047 Brussels,
Belgium
Tel. 00 32 2 284 7626 Fax. 00 32 2 284 9626
e-mail: address@hidden

It may be worth cc'ing any emails to the Lib Dem's UK IT spokesman,
Richard Allan MP (address@hidden)

Basically unless we can establish that there is really a depth of
concern about this issue, among real businesses, the McCarthy text will
go through.

Best regards,

   James Heald.


Unfortunately I'm going to be away from the net for the next couple of
days, but Alex Macfie <address@hidden> is either in or just back from
Brussels, if you need to know the latest score.

----- End forwarded message -----