Free Software, Political Movements and International Law - 20 Mar 03

ParTecs financed Sammondano, the sponsor of the event, in co-hosting with La Sapienza and contribution from Kapusons for graphic work.

SOME DISCUSSION TOPICS
Can free software survive and flourish in the absence of informed and democratic copyright and patents legislative processes? What can be done to promote such processes?

What are the limits of the national jurisdiction in copyright and patents' laws in an era of globalization? What are and what should be the regulatory role of regional and global institutions?

How can free software applications be tools to promote democratic legislative processes for the freedom of software? Can these tools, in turn, help strengthen wider transnational movements for the freedom of information and freedom of society?

What communication strategies may be devised to counter the progressive criminalization of free software programmers and cyber-activists?

How can we clearly differentiate ourselves from crackers (what our media/government calls hackers), cyber-criminals, DoS attacks initiators and cyber-terrorists? Can the unfair criminalization of the word "hacker" be undone?

SPEAKERS
Why is freedom of software crucial for e-government, e-democracy and social movements? If we hope to promote the legitimate purpose of copyright and patents, to promote progress, and contain its negative effects on freedom of society - then we need to create movements to create different national and international legislation. How can free software applications promote the effective self-organization of such political movements?

Richard Stallman, Free Software Foundation (www.fsf.org)
Italian legislative proposal for the adoption of free software and open data standards in the public administration.

Fiorello Cortiana, Partito dei Verdi (www.verdi.it).
EU legislative proposal for free software in the public administration. The role for national, regional and global legislative bodies in copyright and patents' regulations.

Marco Cappato, Transnational Radical Party (www.transnationalradicals.org)
A free software project for the participatory self-organization and decision-making of transnational networks of advocacy groups.

Rufo Guerreschi, Sammondano (www.sammondano.org)
International initiates related to the UN World Summit of Information Society.

Robert Guerra, Canadian Delegation to the World Summit of Information Society
The convergence of free software programmers/advocates and political activism groups. Is it a fruit-full convergence? A national and international perspective.

Arturo Di Corinto, giornalista e scrittore
The upcoming launch of an Italian Chapter of CPSR for an project-based association of computer professionals interested in social issues.

Fiorella De Cindio, Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Italia. www.cpsr.org