[Linux-aus] One for Rusty, from Latin America

[Leon Brooks]

    http://www.gnn.tv/articles/1327/Viva_Software_Libre

    [...]

    North American corporations have relied on the World Information
    Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO)
    to promote treaties which favor corporate exploitation. The WIPO is
    often used to promote treaties and laws which export both
    pharmaceutical and software patenting to developing nations.
    Private corporations then using these same treaties to enforce
    existing North American patent monopolies, preventing the
*** development of competitive local industry. In addition, the  ***
*** "Free Trade Area of The Americas" (FTAA) treaty contains an  ***
*** IP rights chapter which similarly benefits North American    ***
*** software giants.                                             ***

    One way Latin American countries have responded to WIPO, and other
    patent bearing treaties, has been to band together with other
    nations to promote a specific development agenda as ratified last
    October (2004) by the WIPO general assembly. Yet powerful American
    and European commercial interests have chosen to use the WIPO
    chair to explicitly bar NGO’s representing the interests of
    developing nations from attending or participating in WIPO
    discussions on this development agenda, even those organizations
    already duly certified and recognized with observer status.

    Last century, several Latin American nations were invaded by US
    marines in the so-called banana wars to prop up the interests of
    North American corporations like United Fruit. While last
    century's bullies came with tanks and guns, the bullies of this
    new century come with laws and treaties that restrict what people
    can do and who will be permitted to innovate to a tiny few. The
    right to innovate is not a privilege restricted to a tiny
    minority. It is not even a right exclusive to the question of
    free software alone, but is a basic right every citizen must be
    free to enjoy.

"We've been ratted out, boys. [...] Cute 'n' cuddly, boys, cute 'n' 
cuddly." (-:

Cheers; Leon

-- 
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