Eastern Europe facing Intellectual Property Issues

Seen on the website of the Columbia Science and Technology Law Review, this article (available in .pdf or .txt at the bottom of the page) explains why the strengthening of intellectual property is no answer to the world wide issue of piracy and illegal copying, and why open source softwares are the solution.

The author makes it clear that the strengthening of IP did not improve the situation in Eastern Europe. The figures he provides us with clearly show that it just made it impossible for local programmers and developpers to become competitive, and encouraged the diffusion of illegaly copied softwares.

The author ends up by saying that open source software IS the answer to the problem, but he also thinks that "the implementation of this solution will require serious efforts to change the current approach of governments in developing countries and the international organizations involved in development assistance."

Seeing that Eastern and Western Europe are facing the same problem, and most of these countries are in the EC, this is another reason to believe that the European Parliament is on the wrong way with its Software Patent Directive.

For burning news on this directive, go and have a look at the FFII website.