136 lines
5.9 KiB
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136 lines
5.9 KiB
HTML
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<title>FSF Europe - Observing WIPO - Statement at the IIM on a Development Agenda, 13 April 2005</title>
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[ <a href="statement-20050413.en.pdf">PDF Version (44k)</a> ]
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<h2 align="center">STATEMENT BY</h2>
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<h2 align="center">FREE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION EUROPE (FSFE)</h2>
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<h2 align="center">AT THE INTER-SESSIONAL, INTER-GOVERNMENTAL
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MEETING ON A DEVELOPMENT AGENDA FOR WIPO</h2>
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<h3 align="center">(Geneva, 11-13 April 2005)</h3>
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<p>Mr. Chairman,</p>
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<p>my congratulations to you and your distinguished colleagues for having
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been entrusted with chairing this very important IIM. I speak on behalf
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of the Free Software Foundation Europe, which has been following the
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discussions around the establishment of a Development Agenda with great
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interest. We thank all countries for their contributions and would in
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particular like to commend the Friends of Development on their very
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thoughtful and deep proposal.</p>
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<p>Software is the medium that defines and structures the digital
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domain. Cultural techniques, such as agriculture, reading and writing
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have been essential to evolutionary steps of humankind. Software is
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the digital cultural technique upon which the information age will
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rest. Access to software determines who may participate in a digital
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society.</p>
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<p>During the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society in
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December 2003 in Geneva, the Member States jointly adopted that
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``equitable and affordable access to ICT infrastructure and services''
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is one of the challenges the United Nations face, and that
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``Connectivity is a central enabling agent in building the Information
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Society.'' Standards and software models were identified as
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cornerstones in the pursuit of the inclusive, developed Information
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Society.</p>
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<p>A recent study from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany showed that
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80% of all German exports depend on Information and Communication
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Technologies. Because of this central nature of software, lack of
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interoperability and a lack of competitiveness act to the detriment of
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the entire national economies of all Member States. In recognition of
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this fact, the UN Member States at the WSIS adopted that
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``Standardization is one of the essential building blocks of the
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Information Society.''</p>
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<p>As recent cases have shown, traditional reactive antitrust instruments
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are often incapable of matching the rapid pace of ICT evolution. A
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more pro-active approach is required. As such, freely implementable,
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publicly documented standards are one of the few known and proven
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tools to protect interoperability and competition.</p>
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<p>We therefore call upon WIPO to include in its policies effective
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measures to ensure that software standards be freely implementable and
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publicly documented.</p>
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<p>Mr. Chairman,</p>
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<p>as was adopted and endorsed at the WSIS, choice of software model is
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another important component of the Information Society. Its Plan of
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Action therefore encouraged research and called on all Member States
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to promote awareness for the effects of the different software models.
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Building upon Copyright, the global movement for software freedom has
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spent the past 20 years providing a model that protects competition,
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interoperability and sustainable development.</p>
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<p>Equitable participation requires equal access and control, it requires
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independence from the particular interests of foreign states and
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entities. Today, only the Free Software model grants equal rights and
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freedoms to all Member States, their corporations and citizens.</p>
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<p>WIPO should therefore make sure that all its activities are fully
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accessible and available with Free Software and include Free Software
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in its technical assistance activities.</p>
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<p>Mr. Chairman,</p>
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<p>The model of Free Software has played a crucial role in the current
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dawn of the information age, such as the invention and rise of the
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internet. If by some magic Free Software were to disappear, so would
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the internet. By using the Copyright system itself to mitigate some
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of its restrictions, Free Software is the living proof that more
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monopolies and more restrictions do not always mean more economic or
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innovative activity.</p>
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<p>We explicitly support the Friends of Development in their statement
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that no tool should ever be promoted for its own sake and should
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therefore be beyond review. FSFE supports the proposal to establish a
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permanent dialog that pro-actively seeks alternative forms of
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encouraging intellectual activity while monitoring and adjusting the
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existing toolset of granting limited intellectual monopolies to best
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meet the requirements of human development.</p>
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<p>Essential building blocks of human creativity, such as access to
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knowledge and freedom to participate in society and economy should
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once again become the norm, not the exception.</p>
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<p>Mr. Chairman,</p>
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<p>it is the declared goal of WIPO to ``create real wealth for
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nations.'' This IIM can be the first step towards WIPO meeting the
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needs of being a true ``<a href="/documents/wiwo.en.html">World
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Intellectual Wealth Organisation</a>'' of the Information Society. We
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consider this a unique chance and will be glad to contribute to this
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process in any way we can.</p>
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<p>Thank you, Mr. Chairman.</p>
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<p><em>
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Statement by Mr. <a href="/about/greve/">Georg C.F. Greve</a> <<a href="mailto:greve@fsfeurope.org">greve@fsfeurope.org</a>>
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<p div="indent">Free Software Foundation Europe, President<br />
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<a href="/projects/wsis/">UN World Summit on the Information Society</a> (WSIS),<br />
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- Civil Society Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks (PCT) Working Group, Co-Coordinator<br />
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- European Caucus, Coordinator<br />
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- First phase Civil Society representative, German Governmental Delegation<br />
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Expert for Copyright, Software and the Internet to <a href="http://www.iprcommission.org" target="_blank">UK IPR Commission</a>, 2001</p>
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</em></p>
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