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                Date: 2001-09-09
                 
                 
                WIPOUT: Copyright/fimmel & Patentierer/ei
                
                 
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      Wenns schon um Gegen/essays geht, dann skribieret  halt den  
Analphabeten der Ära TCP/IP was Sache ist - Klartext only pls. 
 
post/scrypt: Die anmutige Zeile "The Electronic Frontier Foundation  
is pleased" hat unser Herz weit mehr erfreut als wenns geheißen  
hätte "The Electronic Frontier Foundation is not amused." 
 
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relayed by 
"g'o'tz ohnesorge" <gotz@amiga.com> 
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WIPOUT Launches Counter-Essay Contest on Copyright in  
response to WIPO Contest 
 
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is pleased to support this essay  
contest from WIPOUT. 
 
4 September 2001 
 
Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Fellow Activists: 
 
WIPOUT, an international organisation consisting of academics,  
artists, musicians, and other activists, is today (Sept. 4) launching  
the Intellectual Property Counter Essay Contest on its website:  
http://www.wipout.net/
                   
 
The multi-lingual essay contest has been organised in response to  
the World Intellectual Property Organisation's (WIPO's) own  
competition announced earlier this year. The counter contest is  
intended to challenge the over-protection of intellectual property (IP)  
which is doing much damage to education, health care, the  
environment, and economic security for millions around the world. 
 
Entrants are being asked to address the same topic that WIPO  
has posed: WHAT DOES INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MEAN TO  
YOU IN YOUR DAILY LIFE? We expect the counter contest  
essays to be rather more critical than those that WIPO is soliciting. 
 
The website also has a space for shorter 'Point of View' pieces on  
the same topic for those who have something to say, but do not  
want to write an essay. 
 
WIPOUT's contest will continue from 4 September until 15 March  
2002. The winning essays will be chosen by an international panel  
of judges and the results announced on 26 April 2002, the same  
day that WIPO announces the winners of its contest. WIPOUT's  
prize fund currently totals 1500.00 UK pounds (approx.  
US$2100.00). 
 
Unlike submissions to most essay contests, WIPOUT's essays  
will be immediately posted on the website and accessible to all  
readers, not just the judges. And although WIPOUT is hosting a  
'contest', we see the competitive aspect of the contest secondary  
to the purpose of enabling a public and critical debate on the over- 
protection of IP. 
 
More than 40 groups and individuals from 10 countries have, to  
date, announced their support for WIPOUT. (A complete list can be  
viewed at www.wipout.net) High-profile endorsers include Noam  
Chomsky, The Treatment Action Campaign of South Africa, the  
Gene Campaign of India, British barrister Michael Mansfield, and  
the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Center for the Public  
Domain in the US. 
 
WIPOUT sees the contest as a way of building on recent high- 
profile issues such as the South African anti-HIV drugs case, the  
growing protests against the TRIPS agreement and the WTO, the  
Napster saga (and increasing resentment against the high price of  
CDs), the arrest and charging of Dmitry Skylarov, and public  
concern about GM crops and the patenting of human genes and  
plants. 
 
The essays can be submitted to WIPOUT in English, French,  
German, and Spanish. A selection of initial essays, submitted for  
judging purposes or for the shorter non-judged "point of view"  
section of the website, has already been posted on the website. 
 
So what can you do? 
 
First, go and check our website, www.wipout.net, and look at the  
contributions already posted. Then if you want to become a part of  
the contest and join in the campaign against the over-protection of  
intellectual property, you can: 
 
1. Most obviously, write an essay or a 'Point of View' and submit it  
to WIPOUT. It will then be posted on our website. 2. Become an  
official endorser of the competition. 3. Make a contribution to our  
prize fund. 4. If you run a website, put a link to WIPOUT on your  
site (a .jpg button can be provided). We are happy to put a  
reciprocal link on our site. 5. If your group or organisation publishes  
a newsletter/magazine, mention our launch. We have a launch  
essay we can supply for you. 6. Download the Wipout poster and  
put it up in your workplace, university, school, or local shop. 7.  
Spread the word. Tell others who may be interested by forwarding  
them this email. There are a lot of people in the world who are  
extremely unhappy with the effects of the excessive protection of  
IP. Give them the chance to say what they think. 
 
Finally, keep checking www.wipout.net in coming weeks to read  
the new submissions. It shows there are others who share your  
views and want to do something. 
 
Background: 
 
Details of the WIPOUT contest can be found at:  
http://www.wipout.net/
                   
 
Details of the WIPO contest can be found at:  
http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/alert/2001/ma03rev.htm
                   
 
Contact: 
 
Our email address is: contact@wipout.net 
 
 
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edited by Harkank 
published on: 2001-09-09 
comments to office@quintessenz.at
                   
                  
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