Open source software is a communist plot

[DaBees-Knees]

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1593573/open-source-software-communist-plot

I couldn't resist posting this.  

A MAFIAA CABAL called the International Intellectual Property Alliance, which is an umbrella group for the entertainment cartels such as the MPAA and RIAA, has demanded that Indonesia, Brazil and India should be placed on a special trade watchlist merely because they recommend the use of open source software.

Apparently the outfit has been leaning on the US Trade Representative to consider those nations for its "Special 301 watchlist", which is supposed to list all those nations who are enemies of capitalism.

The lobbying was uncovered by Andres Guadamuz, a lecturer in law at the University of Edinburgh. Apparently the problem is that the entertainment industry lobbies regard open source as communism, or at least socialism.

Last year the Indonesian government sent around a circular to all government departments and state-owned businesses, recommending that they should adopt open source software.

According to the IIPA, this encouraged government agencies to use Free Open Source Software (FOSS) with a view towards implementation by the end of 2011, which the circular states will result in the use of legitimate open source and FOSS and a reduction in overall costs of software in the country's government agencies.

But the IIPA said that that Indonesia deserves Special 301 status because encouraging, yet not forcing, such takeup "weakens the software industry" and "fails to build respect for intellectual property rights."

The statement said that the Indonesian government's policy "simply weakens the software industry and undermines its long-term competitiveness by creating an artificial preference for companies offering open source software and related services, even as it denies many legitimate companies access to the government market."

To be fair, lobbying for such nonsense has been part of IIPA's mode of attack recently, as it has previously put Canada on the US government's Special 301 priority watchlist. The UK, which has also made similar recommendations for using FOSS to its government departments, should follow onto the Special 301 watch list, we guess.

In fact, however, Free Open Source Software actually relies on precisely the same copyright law that covers proprietary software products, in order to secure the rights of all users to use the software, obtain and study the source code, modify it if they wish to do so, and freely redistribute it to other users, usually under the GNU General Public Licence (GPL).

However this just goes to show how the big software companies are trying to kill off the use of Free Open Source Software by leaning on governments. You would have to have a terminally stupid, undemocratic system of government based on a knee-jerk reaction against unfounded allegations of socialism to get away with it, but we guess that in America it is worth a go.

What can one say to a revelation like this? No, it's not a joke. They must be expecting someone to fall for this stupid suggestion. If this is typical of cartel thinking I think they should consider sending some of their staff for a mental health check.    

[FM Refugee]

...there is unfortunately a certain amount of truth in that last sentence, and more than a good chance that the US could indeed fall for this.  Have you heard about this so-called 'Tea Party movement' that has been in the news over here (right-wing extremists of every stripe calling for a 'revolution' against our 'socialist' president and 'big government', among other things)?  We have more than enough right-wing nut jobs like these running about in this country, including some of our elected representatives, who would like nothing better than to establish exactly this kind of 'terminally stupid, undemocratic system of government based on a knee-jerk reaction to unfounded allegations of socialism' that bullshit like this has a chance of actually happening, let alone merely actually being taken seriously.
...I have long believed that conservative politics, and not just corporate greed, have played a part in the destruction of FM radio as we once knew it and in the complete sterilisation of radio programming.  (Of course, we also know that conservative politics and corporate greed often go hand in hand; conservative 'deregulation' and 'laissez-faire' economic policies tend to provide the most fertile of breeding grounds for greed by weakening or eliminating oversight intended to keep the greed in check.)  When these organisations are talking like this, it certainly lends credence to my own suspicions...

[GhostShip]

If this criteria is the basis of placing countires on some kind of "badlist" its going to turn into a shot in the foot in my opinion as other countries will trade with them quite happily and the US will lose respect and trading partners at a time when trade is something all countries are desperate for. There is nothing wrong with socialism as long as folks dont go to extremist lengths, we all know all or nothing policies are doomed to fail and those who push them are often the first rats from the ailing policy ship.

Moderation in all things is the best policy, the policy makers in the US need simply to look at the susbstancial revenue creating capabilities of some of the big open source players and the support infrastructure that is the source of their revenue, its not wise to put all their eggs in the MS basket when so many other baskets are able to provide tax dollars for the government purse.