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Anfang der weitergeleiteten E-Mail: *Von: *Jack Kloppenburg <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> > *Datum: *16. Mai 2014 16:47:10 MESZ > *An: *Jack Kloppenburg <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> > *Betreff: **Open Source Seed Initiative* > > Good friends, > > Thank you all for contacting us about the Open Source Seed Initiative > (OSSI) and our April 17 action. > > I apologize for this impersonal mass mailing. I would have preferred > to contact each of you individually, but the number of you who want to > know what OSSI is doing makes this collective response much more > efficient. That we have heard from so many individuals and > organizations around the world is very exciting - we can be a global > movement to “free the seed”! > > On April 17, 2014, OSSI organized an action on the campus of the > University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. We released seed of 36 > cultivars of 14 species, from seven breeders, under an open source > “pledge.” In speeches at the event, OSSI’s “free” seeds were compared > to the “indentured” seeds covered by IPRs. OSSI seed packets were > distributed to the crowd, which then collectively read the pledge aloud. > > We received substantial press coverage. Social media then carried > reports of our action around the world, which is likely how you > learned of OSSI’s work. To learn more about OSSI and our action, go > to OSSI’s web page at www.opensourceseedinitiative.org > or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/opensourceseedinitiative > A set of links to media reports on the April 17 action is on our web > page, and a nice set of images of the April 17 action is available at > http://ecals.cals.wisc.edu/2014/04/18/open-source-seed- > rollout-draws-a-crowd/ > > For more information on the April 17 action, see the attached pdf > documents: > “April 17 press release final” - for a pre-action account, listing of > breeders and cultivars > “April 17 follow-up letter” - for a post-action account > See also an extensive article by journalist Lisa Hamilton in the > /Virginia Quarterly Review/ that has just been published and provides > a third-party analysis of OSSI’s work: > http://www.vqronline.org/reporting-articles/2014/05/linux-lettuce > > For those of you who want to go deeper, I also attach three documents > that - when read in sequence - outline the thinking that has informed > the development of OSSI. The sequence is “Kloppenburg 2010,” > “Kloppenburg 2014,” Kloppenburg et al 2014.” That final document > (“Kloppenburg et al 2014") is quite short and is especially important > since it explains OSSI’s abandonment of efforts to develop a legally > binding license and our subsequent commitment to an ethically > sanctioned “pledge.” > > OK, so what is OSSI about and where are we going, and how might you be > involved? > > The Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) was established in May, 2012, > by a group of public plant breeders, small seed company plant > breeders, farmer-breeders, and advocates for seed sovereignty. OSSI > was formed in order to enhance vigorous innovation in plant breeding > by the creation of a licensing framework for germplasm exchange that > would preserve the right to unencumbered use of shared seeds and their > progeny in subsequent use. We had hoped that we could develop a > legally defensible license for germplasm in the way that the free and > open source software movement developed its licenses. > > We spent nearly two years trying to develop a legally defensible > license. While we found that we could write a legally defensible > license, we also found that it would be unworkable for a variety of > reasons (these reasons are outlined in “Kloppenburg et al 2014"). In > summary, the legal requirements of the license are so complex as to > make transmission of the license impractical and unlikely. Second, > drawing as it would on the legal “tools of the master” (see > “Kloppenburg 2014"), a license is philosophically and politically > unacceptable to many organizations, mostly but not entirely in the > Global South (we are especially grateful to colleagues at GRAIN and > ETC Group for helping us understand this perspective). > > In February of 2014, OSSI made the hard but considered decision to > abandon efforts to develop a legally defensible license and to shift > to a pledge. This moves OSSI’s discourse and action from the legal > field to the terrain of norms and ethics. We have found this shift to > be stimulating, reinvigorating, and productive. The licensing > approach was pulling us into a policing and bureaucratic orientation > that was not congenial. Although our pledge is likely not legally > binding, it is easily transmissible, it is viral, it is an > uncompromising commitment to free exchange and use, and it is a very > effective tool for outreach and education. The pledge is printed on > all OSSI-distributed packets and reads: > *“This Open Source Seed Pledge is intended to ensure your freedom to > use the seed contained herein in any way you choose, and to make sure > those freedoms are enjoyed by all subsequent users. By opening this > packet, you pledge that you will not restrict others' use of these > seeds and their derivatives by patents, licenses, or any other means. > You pledge that if you transfer these seeds or their derivatives you > will acknowledge the source of these seeds and accompany your transfer > with this pledge.”** > * > The response to our April 17 action appears to confirm our decision to > go with a pledge rather than a license. Not only have we received > expressions of support from around the world, we have received over > 300 orders for OSSI’s free (as in speech, not as in beer!) seed from > 14 countries. There is clearly substantial interest in the US and > internationally in what OSSI is doing. The potential for advocacy is > enormous. Further, the demand for, and willing ness to pay for, OSSI > seed was unexpected and substantial. This demand is likely not > principally related to the agronomic characteristics of the seed, but > to its sociopolitical content. It would appear that there is very > considerable potential for supplying a market for “free seed” that is > analogous to the market for “fair trade.” The implication is that > carrying “free” seed in a commercial seed catalog can be attractive to > small seed companies. > > OSSI will proceed with its work in the United States. We emphasize > that we have no intention of becoming a seed company or a distributor > of seed. We hope to establish a brand and logo associated with our > pledge. We hope that breeders, seed savers, seed libraries, gardeners, > and farmers will choose to exchange and share materials using our > pledge. We especially hope that small, independent seed companies will > offer OSSI-branded seed as part of their regular product mix (as High > Mowing Organic Seeds is doing now - see > http://www.highmowingseeds.com/organic-seeds-midnight- > lightning-zucchini.html). > OSSI is envisioned as a vehicle for providing the organizing core of a > network of free seed advocates. > > Here in the USA, OSSI intends to proceed now to: > • register OSSI as a nonprofit organization > • develop our web site as a resource for information on open source > seed > • develop an OSSI “brand” > • send mailers of OSSI varieties to prominent people and > organizations as outreach > • plan a second release of OSSI varieties for 2015 > • work with our member seed companies to offer OSSI-branded cultivars > > While OSSI is US-based and US-oriented, there is clearly a large and > global reservoir of interest in and support for “open source seed.” > Can OSSI help facilitate development and growth of a global movement > in support of free and open source seed? > > OSSI understands that thinking about application of open source > mechanisms to seed has been going on all over the world for some time, > and that conditions vary considerably by place and sociopolitics. We > do not propose to insist on any particular approach. We have, however, > engaged and thought through many of the issues - practical and > theoretical - that you are encountering and that you are asking us > about. We hope that our experience will be useful to your own work. > Responding individually to your comments and queries will take come > time. Would it not be cool and productive if a bunch of us could get > together at one place at the same time? Can we find funds to support > an international conference/workshop on free and open source seeds? > > After you process the information in this message and the attached > documents, please let us hear from you. How can OSSI be useful to you? > Can we build an international network? > > Please forward this material to anyone you think may be interested in > OSSI or the movement to free the seed. > > Cheers to all. > > Jack > > > -- > Jack Kloppenburg > Professor, Department of Community and Environmental Sociology > Director, GreenHouse Residential Learning Community > Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies > 340A Agricultural Hall > University of Wisconsin > Madison, WI 53706 USA > [email protected] > [email protected] > Phone: 608-262-6867 > www.dces.wisc.edu/faculty/kloppenburg/index.php > > "Well," she said, "you have a high tolerance for lunatics, don't you?" > -- *Please note an intrusion wiped out my inbox on February 8; I have no record of previous communication, proposals, etc ..* P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/
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