Software patents NO!

Went to Brussels today, to participate in (yet another) demonstration against software patents. Which went pretty well; we stood in the cold for about an hour or so, then walked through the cold towards the building where the Luxembourg governemnt has its offices. Stood there, shouted slogans, waiting for someone to come out and listen. Eventually, one of the Luxembourg diplomats came out (someone directly involved in the process, I was told; but I don't know whether this is true) and he received our offers (bananas, a letter with explanation, and a poster to hang in their office, with a print of the FFII's 'webshop patent' example. He then told us that there will be a restart of the process, that negotiations will be re-opened, and that everyone would get to have their say. Good news, which was later sortof confirmed (as in, it was confirmed that there was a unanimous vote of the european parliament's faction presidents to ask for a restart, but it's the commision who gets to decide whether this will happen. They allegedly most likely will, but I've seen enough of European politics by now to still doubt this).

After the Luxembourg Diplomat's words, we went on to the building where the European Commision works, which is just a few hundred meters further, in the same street. Shouted slogans again, but this time there was no diplomat available; so they sent some manager instead (the guy in charge of human resources) who received the stuff we offered and promised to relay the message to the people who do get to decide.

The bananas were good, too. Fun joke, that.

The council can't re-open negotiations because, as a Council diplomat said,

The council can't listen to the national parliaments, because

The council completely ignores the directly elected European Parliament, because

When there is no longer a qualified majority in the Council, they schedule the Directive at a fisheries meeting (twice), because

with thanks to the FFII for their flyer

So, there were a lot of free bananas. Somehow, that sounds better than free beer.

Well.

Anyway. After the demonstration, we went to a bar for a beer (this is Belgium after all); then, there was a press conference. We weren't required to go there, but we were invited, so I went. Of course, there also were some people from a pro-patent pressure group, and we had a healthy discussion afterwards.

There's one thing I tried to say, but couldn't, something regarding the difference between Software and Pharmaceutical patents. That'll be for another time, though.