Longer English letter from CEO to colleague
Subject: EU Software Patents loom large: the battle may be lost in a matter of weeks We, the Signatories, are company executives who are profoundly concerned over the situation in the European Parliament with respect to the software patent directive. The lobbying pressure by those who demand software patents is so immense that, unless we take serious action, our cause will be lost within a matter of three to four weeks. Almost every day, MEPs who previously opposed software patents are pulled over by lobbyists, and this next month of May is the one in which most of the opinion-forming in the parliament will happen, well ahead of the second reading vote that is slated for early July. Our concerns stem from hard facts, and are based upon reports from parliamentary insiders. Last Thursday, the first debate in the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee during this second reading took place. Michel Rocard, a former prime minister of France, has the role of the EP's rapporteur on this directive, leads a dedicated group of MEPs who are sympathetic to our cause, but they face stiff opposition from many colleagues, particularly in the conservative camp, but unfortunately also among liberal and center-left politicians. Mr. Rocard himself said in his speech that the lobbying efforts by large corporations that demand software patents are incredibly intense. In contrast, another friendly insider of the EP privately said that software patent critics are "non-existent" in lobbying terms. The FFII only has one full-time person in Brussels who consistently works the entire parliament. Given a 732-member parliament with thousands of staffers, that is next to no presence at all. Pro-patent forces have a double-digit number of lobbyists available, many of whom are highly skilled. They tour the EP every day, up and down, left and right, in order to spread misinformation. We have no doubt: The European Parliament would be more than willing to help the vast majority of small and medium-sized enterprises and protect them from software patents. Most MEPs are honest and sincerely strive to take the right decision, but that's easier said than done when an issue is so specialized, complex, and esoteric to the average person. The complexity of the issue makes it a perfect playing field for lobbyists. We can't blame MEPs if they believe in misinformation unless we spend time and money in order to tell them the facts in a compelling and comprehensible fashion. We can't expect our allies in the parliament to build a majority if companies let them down and don't make the necessary lobbying effort. We will lose if the only group that MEPs see fighting against software patents in Brussels is "the open-source community", or activists who are misperceived as being part of an "anti-commercial movement". Where are the companies? Where are the lobbyists that tell MEPs about the concerns we have over software patents? In Thursday's debate, even a center-left MEP said that "the entire economy wants those patents". That is completely wrong, but the fact that someone could say so is a sign of failure all by itself. Many believe that the occasional letter to their MEP is enough. It's not. What really matters is who delivers the message on the spot, face to face. We must go to Brussel and Strasbourg to do so. We must provide the FFII with financial resources in order to have a significant presence in the parliament. We have to put our money where our mouth is. Politics is, among other things, a matter of money. If no money is spent on this, how can anyone expect MEPs to believe that software patents are a fundamental threat to companies? Essentially, most of our industry is now on trial, but where are the professional defenders? Now is a chance for companies to defend themselves against tens of thousands of patents at the same time. This is the last chance for companies to talk to each other, and to the FFII, about how to properly support the fight against software patents. To all the decision-makers out there: Yes, we can all be clever, economical and focused if we rely on volunteer activists instead of spending our own time and money. It's just that we'll lose the fight. Let us all be aware that the pro-patent forces spend many millions on this. It's a strategic investment for them. After they've won, they'll let the rest of the industry pay the bill. And make no mistake: They'll want a high return on investment. From all of us. If you're not a decision-maker yourself: Talk about this in your own company. Get the discussion started now. In a few weeks, it could all be over if we don't act swiftly and forcefully. Please join us and sign up at www.economic-majority.com.