142 řádky
6.3 KiB
HTML
142 řádky
6.3 KiB
HTML
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<title>Allianz Group will suffer because of software patents - October 4th, 2004</title>
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<center><h1>Software Patents in Europe</h1>
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/swpat.html">Introduction</a> | <a
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href="/campaigns/swpat/background.html">Background</a> | <a
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href="/campaigns/swpat/status.html">Status</a> | <a
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href="/campaigns/swpat/documents.html">Further Reading</a> ]
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</center>
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<br />
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<center> Open Letter
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20040510.html">2004-05-10</a>]
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20040531.html">2004-05-31</a>]
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20040706.html">2004-07-06</a>]
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20040802.html">2004-08-02</a>]
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20040906.html">2004-09-06</a>]
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[2004-10-04]
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20041101.html">2004-11-01</a>]
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20041206.html">2004-12-06</a>]
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20050103.html">2005-01-03</a>]
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20050207.html">2005-02-07</a>]
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20050307.html">2005-03-07</a>]
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20050405.html">2005-04-05</a>]
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20050502.html">2005-05-02</a>]
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[<a href="/campaigns/swpat/letter-20050606.html">2005-06-06</a>]
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</center>
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<h2>Allianz Group will suffer because of software patents</h2>
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<h3>October 4th, 2004</h3>
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<p>Dear Mr. Diekmann,</p>
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<p>
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Have you ever considered offering general insurance for stock brokers
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against the risk of losing money? As absurd as this sounds, the European
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Commission is seriously considering equivalent measures at the moment.
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</p>
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<p>
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The European Council and the European Commission seek to introduce
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software patents in Europe. This is not only threatening any company
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doing business in Europe, <a
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href="http://mail.fsfeurope.org/pipermail/press-release-de/2004q2/000030.html">a
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number of international scientists</a> also see it as a grave risk to
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European economies. Adding to the studies already known, recent
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publications by <a
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href="http://www.pwc.com/Extweb/pwcpublications.nsf/docid/EC6DE73A846581CE80256EFD002E41FB">Pricewaterhouse
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Coopers (PwC)</a> and <a
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href="http://www.dbresearch.com/PROD/DBR_INTERNET_EN-PROD/PROD0000000000175949.pdf">Deutsche
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Bank Research</a> further underline the damaging
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effect of software patents. As <a
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href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/15/pwc_swpat_are_a_threat/">The
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Register</a> quotes PwC: "The mild regime [...] in the past has led to
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a very innovative and competitive software industry
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with low entry barriers. A software patent, which serves to protect
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inventions of a non-technical nature, could kill the high innovation
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rate."
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</p>
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<p>
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The reality of software patents is well-known for its purely
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speculative character. Although generally endorsed by noble goals such
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as promoting innovation, studies from the <a
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href="http://www.researchoninnovation.org/patent.pdf">Massachusetts
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Institute of Technology (MIT)</a> or the <a
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href="http://swpat.ffii.org/archiv/zitate/index.de.html#mopoko0207">German
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monopoly commission</a> show that software patents are harmful to
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innovation.
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</p>
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<p>
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Software patent applications could be considered like the chips that
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are bet on a roulette table that -- if successful -- will win you the
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jackpot in form of a multi-billion Euro litigation. Any large
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corporation making use of software could find itself on the receiving
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end of such a bet. The more money at play and the more software used,
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the higher the chance of being targeted. Valuable companies such as
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Allianz group -- which are in the main dependent on software revenues
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are especially at risk of being adversely affected by the legalisation
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of software patents in the EU.
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</p>
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<p>
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While I believe the plans of the European Commission should already
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have you quite worried, the current plans are going to affect you in
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another aspect, as well.
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</p>
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<p>
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Having to acknowledge the harmful and potentially devastating effect
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of software patents on European companies and national economies, the
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European Commission recently introduced the idea of another directive
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aimed at creating a
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<a href="http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/indprop/docs/patent/studies/litigation_en.pdf">compulsory insurance</a>
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against software patents for all European enterprises. This insurance
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should obviously be cheap enough so that it does not immediately kill
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the European economy altogether.
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</p>
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<p>
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You, as CEO of Allianz Group will have to insure your enterprise,
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because you are at risk of being the target of a multi-billion Euro
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software patent litigation. This is essentially the same as asking for
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cheap compulsory insurance of all stock brokers against losing money
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-- and we are certain that you see the flaw in that logic.
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</p>
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<p>
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We would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this problem with you
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further, but now time is of the essence. The European Council is
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planning to decide in November and the European Parliament will then
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have to make a final decision early next year.
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</p>
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<p>With kind regards,</p>
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<p>
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<a href="/about/greve/">Georg Greve</a><br />
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President<br />
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Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE)<br />
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<a href="/">fsfe.org</a>
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</p>
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