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