Richard Stallman, Farmers and the German CSU Party Unite Against Patents
Members of the Foundation for Free Information Infrastructure (FFII), the Piratenpartei (Pirate Party), Greenpeace, the Misereor Catholic organization, and farmers' unions against the European Patent Office (EPO) recently assembled at a rally in Munich, Germany. Demonstrators included Richard Stallman, who added his own testimonial to those united against the EPO.
Filed by U.S. agricultural firm Monsanto, a bio patent for a swine breeding process provoked the rally. A letter with more 5,000 signatures ended up at the patent office (EPO) in Munich in form of a protest march. Representatives from farmers' unions, Greenpeace, the Misereor development corporation of German Catholic bishops, other religious groups, and Richard Stallman attended the rally in the Marienplatz. Stallman spoke out on behalf of the German FFII about the shared interests software developers have with pig farmers: "Patents on plants and animals attack farmers as they do their work. Software patents attack developers as they do their work."

The pioneer of free software and founder of the FSF considered everyone to be affected by software patents: "Only a fraction of the businesses are farmers, but certainly most companies use computers, and they all are in danger." To clarify, he used the analogy of music composition, where composers write notes and implement pre-existing ideas with original ones in their works, much as programmers do with code. Stallman: "Even a Beethoven can't reinvent music from zero and make something people will listen to. Nobody is such a genius that he could reinvent computing from zero." Accompanied by applause, he characterized the EPO as a "corrupt, malicious organization" and implored everyone not to shy away from eliminating it altogether. He exhorted Europeans, "Every institution gets the respect it deserves."
Prior to Stallman's speech the Bavarian environment minister Markus Söder made a surprise appearance at the microphone. A member of the CSU party, he was greeted with jeers, but his avowals seemed to fit the occasion. He praised the recent decision by agriculture minister Ilse Aigner (of his own party) to ban cultivation of genetically modified (GM) corn and denounced the Monsanto patent: "Yes to life, no to patents" was his rhetoric. Later speakers, such as European Parliament member Friedrich-Wilhelm Graefe zu Baringdorf, got to the crux of the matter: "Keep in mind, European elections are just around the corner." He and speakers from the other organizations emphasized persistence when words aren't immediately followed by actions.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Fedora 39 Beta is Now Available for Testing
For fans and users of Fedora Linux, the first beta of release 39 is now available, which is a minor upgrade but does include GNOME 45.
-
Fedora Linux 40 to Drop X11 for KDE Plasma
When Fedora 40 arrives in 2024, there will be a few big changes coming, especially for the KDE Plasma option.
-
Real-Time Ubuntu Available in AWS Marketplace
Anyone looking for a Linux distribution for real-time processing could do a whole lot worse than Real-Time Ubuntu.
-
KSMBD Finally Reaches a Stable State
For those who've been looking forward to the first release of KSMBD, after two years it's no longer considered experimental.
-
Nitrux 3.0.0 Has Been Released
The latest version of Nitrux brings plenty of innovation and fresh apps to the table.
-
Linux From Scratch 12.0 Now Available
If you're looking to roll your own Linux distribution, the latest version of Linux From Scratch is now available with plenty of updates.
-
Linux Kernel 6.5 Has Been Released
The newest Linux kernel, version 6.5, now includes initial support for two very exciting features.
-
UbuntuDDE 23.04 Now Available
A new version of the UbuntuDDE remix has finally arrived with all the updates from the Deepin desktop and everything that comes with the Ubuntu 23.04 base.
-
Star Labs Reveals a New Surface-Like Linux Tablet
If you've ever wanted a tablet that rivals the MS Surface, you're in luck as Star Labs has created such a device.
-
SUSE Going Private (Again)
The company behind SUSE Linux Enterprise, Rancher, and NeuVector recently announced that Marcel LUX III SARL (Marcel), its majority shareholder, intends to delist it from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by way of a merger.