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44 lines
2.1 KiB
Plaintext
44 lines
2.1 KiB
Plaintext
Protect Your Freedom to Write Programs
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Join the League for Programming Freedom
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(Version of February 3, 1994)
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Ten years ago, programmers were allowed to write programs using all
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the techniques they knew, and providing whatever features they felt
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were useful. This is no longer the case. New monopolies, known as
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software patents and interface copyrights, have taken away our freedom
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of expression and our ability to do a good job.
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"Look and feel" lawsuits attempt to monopolize well-known command
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languages; some have succeeded. Copyrights on command languages
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enforce gratuitous incompatibility, close opportunities for
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competition, and stifle incremental improvements.
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Software patents are even more dangerous; they make every design
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decision in the development of a program carry a risk of a lawsuit,
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with draconian pretrial seizure. It is difficult and expensive to
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find out whether the techniques you consider using are patented; it is
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impossible to find out whether they will be patented in the future.
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The League for Programming Freedom is a grass-roots organization of
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professors, students, businessmen, programmers and users dedicated to
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bringing back the freedom to write programs. The League is not
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opposed to the legal system that Congress expressly established for
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software--copyright on individual programs. Our aim is to reverse the
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recent changes that prevent programmers from doing their work.
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The League works to abolish the new monopolies by publishing articles,
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talking with public officials, denouncing egregious offenders, and
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filing amicus curiae briefs, most notably against Lotus in its suit
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against Borland. We testified twice at the recent Patent Office
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hearings on software patents. We welcome suggestions for other
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activities, as well as help in carrying them out.
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(Added 2003) The League for Programming Freedom is inactive nowadays,
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though its web site www.programming-freedom.org is still maintained.
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It would be very useful to find a person who could take the initiative
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to get the LPF operating again. It will be a substantial job,
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requiring persistence and working with a lawyer. If you want to do
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it, please write to rms@gnu.org.
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