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- <meta name="author-name-1" content="Georg C.F. Greve"/>
- <meta name="author-link-1" content="/about/greve/greve.html"/>
- <meta name="publication-date" content="2005-04-15"/>
- <title>FSF Europe - Observing WIPO - Statement at PCIPD, 15 April 2005</title>
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- [ <a href="statement-20050415.en.pdf">PDF Version (44k)</a> ]
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- <p id="category">
- <a href="/activities/un/">United Nations</a> / <a href="/activities/wipo/">WIPO</a>
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- <h1>Statement by Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) </h1>
-
- <h4>PERMANENT COMMITTEE ON COOPERATION FOR DEVELOPMENT RELATED TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (PCIPD) (Geneva, 14-15 April 2005)</h4>
-
- <!--<p id="introduction"> Summary: </p>-->
-
-
- <p>Mr. Chairman,</p>
-
- <p>on behalf of the Free Software Foundation Europe I congratulate you and
- your co-chair on the trust placed in you for this fourth PCIPD
- session. Our organisation is a globally active centre of expertise for
- Free Software with a European focus, and our intervention will deal with
- the digital development activities referred to in document number
- PCIPD/4/2 prepared by the bureau.</p>
-
- <p>Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are described in the
- document both as tools for administration systems and as the object of
- technology transfer. Furthermore ICTs impact upon other areas of
- interest to WIPO, in particular copyright, and Free Software can
- contribute positively to all of these.</p>
-
- <p>Free Software is defined by the freedom of unlimited use for any
- purpose, the freedom to study, the freedom to modify and the freedom
- to distribute. In this context we would like to refer to the
- Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action adopted by all UN
- Member States during the December 2003 World Summit on the Information
- Society.</p>
-
- <p>As -- amongst others -- paragraph 23 o) of the Plan of Action states,
- a variety of software models such as proprietary and Free Software
- should be promoted. This impacts on paragraph 12 and 34 of PCIPD/4/2,
- but also paragraphs 48 and 49 need to be seen in the light of this
- decision by the Member States.</p>
-
- <p>It is crucial that WIPO programmes do not de-jure or de-facto mandate
- any of these activities in favour of proprietary software. All such
- activities should be equally and fully available with Free Software.</p>
-
- <p>Mr. Chairman,</p>
-
- <p>regarding technology transfer and the bridging of the digital divide,
- the potential of Free Software should be taken into account by the
- measures listed in section II of the document.</p>
-
- <p>As alluded to by the ``knowledge economy'' reference in paragraph 14,
- Information and Communication Technologies can be a powerful tool to
- enable industrial growth. The sustainability of such growth is to a very
- high degree a function of the control over such ICT infrastructures.</p>
-
- <p>The model of proprietary software is based on absolute and permanent
- control by the proprietor. On the other hand,the model of Free
- Software, based on the creative use of copyright, offers freedom for
- political and commercial activity, giving each Member State
- flexibility and control over their ICT infrastructure.</p>
-
- <p>The region of Extremadura in Spain is a good example how a primarily
- agricultural economy can rapidly evolve into a digitally networked
- high-skill region fostering high economic development through commercial
- Free Software clusters.</p>
-
- <p>Adding training and competency in Free Software to WIPO's development
- related programmes will greatly increase their impact and open up an
- entire new area of knowledge based economic development.</p>
-
- <p>Thank you, Mr. Chairman.</p>
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