[Fsf-friends] No Software Patents (People's Democracy)

[Frederick Noronha (FN)]

No Software Patents
  People's Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)

Vol. XXIX
No. 50
December 11, 2005

No Software Patents
Govt Assures FSF India

UNION minister of commerce and industries, Kamal Nath has assured that the
Indian government is committed to its stand of not allowing software
patenting for the time being and that it would reiterate this stand in the
forthcoming meeting of WTO ministerial at Hong Kong.

This was conveyed to a delegation of Free Software Foundation of India (FSF
India), which met the minister on December 6 in New Delhi and discussed with
him about the proposal for software patenting which came up early this year.
It comprised M Arun, secretary and Y Kiran Chandra, secretary FSF AP
Chapter. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and MP, Sitaram Yechury and CPI(M)
central committee member and MP, P Madhu accompanied the delegation. A
memorandum was also submitted to the minister on this issue.

In a statement released to the press, the FSF India representatives termed
the discussion with the minister as fruitful. The minister informed the
delegation about his opinion that copyright provides reasonable protection
for the software industry. However, pointing out that there was a strong
demand from sections of the Indian IT industry to allow the patenting of
software in conjunction with hardware, the minister expressed the need to
find a via media between arguments of different groups.

The FSF India stated that in the coming days it will interact with
industries, particularly small and medium industries, to highlight the
harmful effects of generic software patenting and also in order to
understand the needs of the industry. "It would be working with the industry
to find a via media which will protect the larger social interests and at
the same time protecting economic interest of industries", the statement
assured. (INN)