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Neil Williams wrote:
Dear Supporters of NoSoftwarePatents.com, On 6 July 2005, the European Parliament rejected a proposal to legalise software patents in Europe. However, our fight continues. There is now a public Internet poll in which you can vote against software patents. Everyone can participate in the vote of the "Europeans of the Year". That is the most important award in the European Union, and Florian Mueller, the founder of the NoSoftwarePatents.com campaign, has a realistic chance to win. If Florian wins, then the big news in the media will be: "Opponent of software patents is elected as European of the Year". The importance of our cause would be clearer than ever before, to politicians, the press, and the public. Florian would also have the chance to make a speech against software patents in front of some of Europe's most powerful politicians. Please click here to read more about this opportunity to vote (on the Internet) against software patents: http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/en/m/ev50/index.html Thank you very much in advance for your support. This is really a unique opportunity for you and your friends to show to politicians that software patents are a major problem to people all over the world. Everyone may participate in the vote, including non-Europeans, and if we win, then the victory will belong to all of us together. Best regards, The NoSoftwarePatents.com Team ------------------------------------------------------- The vote works like this:1. You must vote once for each of the ten categories, not just Florian. The link above at nosoftwarepatents.com links on to a page that explains who on the list of nominees did the most to support the fight against software patents. There are some categories where the vote is entirely neutral - make your own mind up on those. (I would personally recommend against voting for Tony Blair - no matter what your political persuasion - as the UK government was firmly behind the UKPO. If Lord Sainsbury was on the list, maybe I would change that but although he listens, it is still unclear how much he acts on the reports.)2. Enter your real name and a genuine email address at the end. You will receive a confirmation email that activates your vote by providing a link. This is an attempt to block repeat voting - not sure how it works for those of us with multiple email addresses! However, do NOT deliberately attempt to skew the vote - your votes may be disqualified if abuse is found.3. This is a real poll with real results - it's not the usual Slashdot type poll that has no effect beyond the stats. There are real awards that will get the attention of the worldwide media.4. Florian was and is the most persistent anti-software-patent voice in Brussels, his support of FFII, his endless campaigning and unflinching support for the fight against software patents does deserve wider recognition.------------------------------------From the nosoftwarepatents.com site:This is a campaign for a cause, not for a person. A respected jury has nominated Florian Mueller as a figurehead of our movement, and he has made it clear that we will all be winners if he becomes elected. By voting for Florian in a public Internet poll, you and your friends - no matter where in the world you live - can send out a strong signal that politicians must act against software patents. If we succeed with this campaign, the issue of software patents will be elevated to the level of awareness that other major political topics enjoy. Our opponents try to portray it as a concern of geeks. With the power of the Internet, we can prove them wrong once again. We face strong competition from such prominent people as Bono (U2), Bob Geldof, J.K. Rowling and 46 other candidates. However, we have a realistic chance to win because a public Internet poll should be a home game for us. Imagine what it will mean if our candidate receives a highly prestigious award that Microsoft has co-sponsored, at a gala event that is moderated by a pro-patent lobbyist (Pat Cox), and if he can then make an acceptance speech in front of many EU commissioners and the heads of governments of several EU member countries. Europe's political leaders would have to listen to us like never before, and the news would go around the world. Florian has promised that he will give the prize money to the FFII if he wins.
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