Spread The Information

The highest priority in the fight against software patents is that we increase the number of people who are aware of the problem.

A lot more people can understand the problem if we tell them about it. Obviously, software patents will never be debated as much in the general public as tax policy or the war in Iraq. However, the consequences of software patents concern everyone, and together we can make many more people understand.

Lay the emphasis on the consequences of software patents. If you talk too much about the philosophical aspects of why software should be patentable or not, then people won't understand unless they are programmers themselves. If you get into details of the legislative proposals, then the fewest will be familiar with them. Focus on what everyone can understand, such as the fact that large corporations want to use software patents to control the software market.

Make people understand that software patents would also affect them. Discuss with them the fact that software is everywhere. It not only runs on computers but also in mobile phones and today's television sets. We often pay for software when we don't even know that we're doing it because it is included in something else. Software is a key industry, and if software gets more expensive, then even your automobile insurance or your breakfast can become more expensive. That's something most people will understand.

Highlight the fact that it would be irresponsible for Europe to shoot itself into its own foot. People must know that Europe would waste a historic opportunity to make its information technology infrastructure more independent from a few large American companies than ever before. We have the chance at hand, and we must not sacrifice it to the patent establishment.

If there is time, then security is an important aspect. As the related page of this website explains, software patents will result in insecure software. Someone's personal E-mails, or even the SMS on their mobile phones, may be read by a personal enemy because of that. Someone's online banking password may be stolen by a criminal. Such things could happen only because software patents make the software market less competitive. This is not a wild fantasy. The Technical University at Berlin conducted research on this and found out that software patents breed the development and mass distribution of insecure software.

And of course we'd appreciate if you could recommend this website to many people! That way you don't even have to tell them everything yourself.

Click here to read how to refer people to this website