I need your help lobbying someone in the European Parliament from Portugal.
He doesn't speak English, so I really need help :)
The Legal Affairs Committee is working on a report called "Report on the
Implementation of the Information Society Directive". Both our issues -
Government Works in the Public Domain and Freedom of Panorama - are in it
but under attack. We need to secure majorities for the Committee vote that
will happen in about a month.
The Portuguese member is:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/124742/ANTONIO_MARINHO+E+PINTO_home.h…
<http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/125061/KOSTAS_CHRYSOGONOS_home.html>
I need you to write to him in in the name of Wikimedia PT and if he doesn't
answer give him a call. If you need reimbursement for the calling costs, I
can do this ;). It is really important, because the other member of this
committee from his group is a staunch French anti-reformist. It is crucial
to show that the French guy's position is not the position of the group.
Below are the talking points:
Our issues in the report are under Points 5 (PDGov) and 16 (Freedom of
Panorama).
On Point 5 a compromise has been reached between the Greens and the
Socialists with *Amendment 250*. We're currently rounding up more political
parties to support it. We will get support from the Radical Left, ECR and
the EFDD (feel free to tell him that). We are also looking for his group to
support it.
On point 16, the Conservatives have proposed to make the exception for
non-commercial use only. Tell him that would force us to delete tens of
thousands of pictures from Wikipedia (including Portugal) and would only
hurt the small entrepreneurs and users while cementing the monopoly of
large international companies (they have the lawyers to clear rights, small
guys don't).
I am happy to help with anything. Pinto is actually very open and
progressive, don't worry about contacting him. Just the language barrier is
problematic.
Thanks a million!
Dimi