US Official: Free Software is Unamerican

"I don’t even know how to begin this story, so stupid and extreme
it is."  So begins Lawrence Lessig in a relevatory article
on the US reaction to a World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO) meeting on “Open collaborative models to develop public goods”
including open-source and free software. WIPO is affiliated with the
UN.

Enter Lois Boland, director of international relations for the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office, who, at the prompting of Microsoft and software
industry lobbying (according to this story by Jonathan
Krim in the Washington Post) proclaimed
“that open-source software runs counter to the mission of WIPO, which
is to
promote intellectual-property
rights.”  She was further quoted as saying, “To hold a meeting
which has as its purpose to disclaim or waive such rights seems to us
to be
contrary
to
the goals
of WIPO.”

Lessig lights into Lois here: "If Lois Boland said this, then she should
be asked to resign. " Of course, this unleashed a torrent of comments.

follow
the fun at Lessig Blog (see blog for latest developments)