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Hello,
As we will not be able to get the classroom next week we decided to
postpone the October meeting to November 8th at 20h00 in the LGL.
See you there
- ---
Thierry Coutelier
Président LiLux asbl
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Hello Free Software Fans,
Our next meeting will be held in the LGL on the 25th of October at 20h00.
I will present you the Tux Droid from Kysoh (http://www.kysoh.com).
Best regards.
- ---
Thierry Coutelier
Président LiLux asbl
Tel: +352 406776 GSM: +352 621 350037
7, Rue Jacques Sturm
L-2556 Luxembourg
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=======================================================================
Economist Critic of Software Patents gets Nobel Prize
========================================================================
Brussels, Oct 17, 2007 -- The FFII congratulates Eric S. Maskin, an
economist who has long criticised the patenting of software, for
receiving the 2007 Nobel Prize for Economics. Prof. Maskin and two
colleagues receive the Prize for research into the optimal design of
economic mechanisms. By applying his theory to the IT sector, Maskin
demonstrated "that in such a dynamic industry, patent protection may
reduce overall innovation and welfare."
The FFII has consistently argued that the patent model of broad 20-year
monopolies is completely inappropriate for the fast-moving software
sector. In its campaigns against software patents, the FFII has
emphasised that they are an impediment to innovation. FFII president
Pieter Hintjens says, "Software patents freeze innovation in areas where
they are heavily used, such as multimedia or GSM. In unpatented fields,
such as e-mail, web, messaging or peer to peer, innovation is fast,
valuable and promotes competition." Small-and-medium sized businesses are
especially harmed, says Hintjens: "large firms can afford the legal
structures, and the heavy cost of patenting and litigating. Small
innovative firms cannot and are kept out of the market."
Recent studies in the USA also showed that less than 20% of software
startups take software patents, four years after receiving venture
capital investment. FFII founder Hartmut Pilch explains, "software
patents are used by giants such as Microsoft and IP trolls such as
Acacia. We don't see them creating any value for society or economy,
except for some lawyers."
The introduction of software patents in the USA provided a rare
experimental test for Maskin's theory: "... when patent protection was
extended to software in the 1980s, [...] standard arguments would predict
that R&D intensity and productivity should have increased among patenting
firms. Consistent with our model, however, these increases did not
occur."
The Nobel award highlights the solid scientific and economic basis on
which the FFII demands a modern and innovation-friendly patent system.
Thanks to people like Prof. Maskin, our understanding of the effects of
the patent system has progressed, but the European Commission is still
pushing for ever more and cheaper monopolies without any effective limits
to either subject matter or inventivity, and the EPO continues to
"interpret" the European patent law to grant thousands of legally dubious
software patents each year. Both institutions pretend that this is in the
interest of innovation and productivity in Europe, while it in fact hurts
Europe's innovators and industry.
The FFII calls on the Commission to finally acknowledge the insights of
people like Prof. Maskin and abandon its naive proliferation policies:
"How much more proof is it needed? If IT professionals, economists, and
entrepreneurs - and now even a Nobel laureate - agree that software
patents are bad for business and innovation, the Commission should take
the hint and act to abolish software patents."
========================================================================
Background Information
========================================================================
Together with his colleagues Leonid Hurwicz and Roger Myerson, Eric
Maskin has been awarded the "Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences
in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2007", commonly (and inaccurately) known as
"Nobel Prize in Economics".
In a joint paper with James Bessen, Maskin argues that standard reasoning
about patents is not applicable to the software and computer industries.
Whenever innovation is "sequential and complementary" (as is the case in
the IT sector) "imitation becomes a //spur// to innovation, whereas
strong patents become an //impediment//".
The European Commission has been openly pushing for the legalisation of
software patents with the Software Patent Directive in 2004/05 and by its
support for the European Patent Office (EPO)'s proposal for an European
Patent Litigation Agreement (EPLA) in 2007. The FFII was among the
leaders of successful campaigns against both attempts to open the
floodgates to software patents in Europe.
========================================================================
Links
========================================================================
* Nobel Prize Announcement
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/2007/press.html
* Bessen, James E. and Maskin, Eric S., "Sequential Innovation,
Patents, And Imitation" (January 2000). MIT Dept. of Economics Working
Paper No. 00-01.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=206189
* Digital Majority article on VC funded software startups
http://www.digitalmajority.org/forum/t-13940/study-shows-most-vc-funded-sof…
* Permanent link to this press release
http://press.ffii.org/Press_releases/Economist_Critic_of_Software_Patents_g…
========================================================================
Contact information
========================================================================
Benjamin Henrion
FFII Brussels
+32-2-414 84 03
+32-484-566109
bhenrion(a)ffii.org
(French/English)
========================================================================
About the FFII
========================================================================
The FFII is a not-for-profit association active in over fifty
countries, dedicated to the development of information goods for the
public benefit, based on copyright, free competition, and open
standards. More than 850 members, 3,500 companies and 100,000
supporters have entrusted the FFII to act as their voice in public
policy questions concerning exclusion rights (intellectual property)
in data processing.
_______________________________________________
FFII Press Releases.
(un)subscribe via https://lists.ffii.org/mailman/listinfo/news, or
contact media(a)ffii.org for more information.
Hi again,
On Mon, Sep 24, 2007 at 11:33:38AM +0200, Eric Dondelinger wrote:
> for the next LinuxDays, there will be a "Desktop" track
> where the LinuxDays ask us (LiLux) specifically for help
> with that part. I didn't get any input just yet on what
> "desktop" is to be, but I'll forward any info as soon as
> I get it.
>
> What's for sure is that any submission we might want to
> make will have to be submitted in time via the online
> form that's soon going to be made available. We won't be
> part of the event if we miss that deadline.
>
> Submission deadline: 15.11.2007
>
> Date of the Event: 19th (Tuesday) and 20th (Wednesday)
> of February 2008
The Call for Papers is online by now:
http://www.linuxdays.lu/call-for-papers/linuxdays-2008/
As said in the last meeting, if you'd like to present a
full desktop environment or more specific applications,
please inform us and submit it to the LinuxDays team.
It might be helpful if the application(s) presented
weren't already subject of presentations or tutorials
previously (such as GIMP, OOo, Digikam).
Greetings, Eric