Down With Software Patents...

The free software foundation said on Tuesday it would start adapting rules for development and use of free software by including penalties against those who patent software or use anti-piracy technology.

The idea is that if someone uses software patents against free software, that company or person loses the right to distribute that particular programme and use it in their product, he added.

Stallman will write a draft version of the new GPL by December, after which it will be evaluated and discussed by thousands of organisations, software developers and software users in 2006.

The draft version may contain a proposal to penalise those companies which use digital rights management (DRM) software which protects songs and films against piracy, and which is seen as an anomaly by the free software association. source

Instead of pushing DRM some artists / programmers / writers / information sellers realize that they can build a stronger bond with the consumers by adding value added products and services.

As individuals better understand the web & are more freely willing to express themselves the need for gate keepers diminishes.

Cory Doctorow gave a great speech on DRM June 2004.