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.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