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a933dad1 DL |
1 | Protect Your Freedom to Write Programs |
2 | Join the League for Programming Freedom | |
3 | (Version of February 3, 1994) | |
4 | ||
5 | Ten years ago, programmers were allowed to write programs using all | |
6 | the techniques they knew, and providing whatever features they felt | |
7 | were useful. This is no longer the case. New monopolies, known as | |
8 | software patents and interface copyrights, have taken away our freedom | |
9 | of expression and our ability to do a good job. | |
10 | ||
11 | "Look and feel" lawsuits attempt to monopolize well-known command | |
12 | languages; some have succeeded. Copyrights on command languages | |
13 | enforce gratuitous incompatibility, close opportunities for | |
14 | competition, and stifle incremental improvements. | |
15 | ||
16 | Software patents are even more dangerous; they make every design | |
17 | decision in the development of a program carry a risk of a lawsuit, | |
18 | with draconian pretrial seizure. It is difficult and expensive to | |
19 | find out whether the techniques you consider using are patented; it is | |
20 | impossible to find out whether they will be patented in the future. | |
21 | ||
22 | The League for Programming Freedom is a grass-roots organization of | |
23 | professors, students, businessmen, programmers and users dedicated to | |
24 | bringing back the freedom to write programs. The League is not | |
25 | opposed to the legal system that Congress expressly established for | |
26 | software--copyright on individual programs. Our aim is to reverse the | |
27 | recent changes that prevent programmers from doing their work. | |
28 | ||
29 | The League works to abolish the new monopolies by publishing articles, | |
30 | talking with public officials, denouncing egregious offenders, and | |
31 | filing amicus curiae briefs, most notably against Lotus in its suit | |
32 | against Borland. We testified twice at the recent Patent Office | |
33 | hearings on software patents. We welcome suggestions for other | |
34 | activities, as well as help in carrying them out. | |
35 | ||
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415c9319 RS |
37 | (Added 2003) The League for Programming Freedom is inactive nowadays, |
38 | though its web site www.programming-freedom.org is still maintained. | |
39 | It would be very useful to find a person who could take the initiative | |
40 | to get the LPF operating again. It will be a substantial job, | |
41 | requiring persistence and working with a lawyer. If you want to do | |
42 | it, please write to rms@gnu.org. | |
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