Enemies of Open Source

It is no secret that big software companies like Microsoft are behind strong and influential lobby groups which aim to protect their interests. Its common enemy – piracy and open source software. The International Intellectual Property Alliance or the IIPA is at the forefront of these lobbyist who aims to convince lawmakers that open source software is actually equivalent to piracy. Not only are they targeting local software makers and end users but they also threaten countries which encourages the use of open source. One of their targets is the Indonesian Government which sent a circular to government departments and state-owned businesses to use open source software to cut government spending and increase efficiency. The IIPA didn't like the sound of that and petitioned that Indonesia be put under the “Special 301 watchlist” which effectively puts it under the banner of “Piracy Countries”. In their official statement, they stated that:

"The Indonesian government's policy... simply weakens the software industry and undermines its long-term competitiveness by creating an artificial preference for companies offering open source software and related services, even as it denies many legitimate companies access to the government market.
Rather than fostering a system that will allow users to benefit from the best solution available in the market, irrespective of the development model, it encourages a mindset that does not give due consideration to the value to intellectual creations.
As such, it fails to build respect for intellectual property rights and also limits the ability of government or public-sector customers (e.g., State-owned enterprise) to choose the best solutions.”

The connection between the undermining of the software industry and the recommendation of open source software is as vague as the connection between open source and piracy. When the statement opined that the use of open source does not give due value to intellectual creations, does it preclude programmers from giving their software free of charge to the end user public? The twisted logic of these lobbyists affirm their desperation to capture the market by blocking out all competitors and making consumers dependent upon overpriced and buggy wares.

13th Entry