http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1527 has reported the views of free software developers in Africa: It reports:

<quote> "This is a local American issue - a storm in an American tea cup," according to De Wet who believes that there will be growing pressure to end software patents there. "The civilised world, that is Europe, Africa and most of Asia, does not have software patents," he added snidely. </quote>

That apart, they said "software patents" are stifling innovation in the US.

Richard Stallman recently did a song on the guantanamero injustice at: http://www.stallman.org/guantanamero.html that has the following lines;

When they injure my body They say they are not torturing me. They cause me grave wounds Such as never heal.

(recording at: http://www.stallman.org/guantanamero.ogg )

"Software patents" are a device used by the empire to inflict injury on its own best citizens - the software developers who work to make life a little easier for everyone elxe.

Ramanraj K