I've authorized and asked ffis e.V. (the keeper of Debian money in Europe) to donate 1,000 EUR to the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII). FFII supports the development of public information goods based on copyright, free competition, and open standards. Some of their current activities are directed against software patents in Europe, and given that software patents are potentially a big risk for free software and Debian, I think this effort should be supported us. I see this donation only as a first step and feel that Debian should actively speak out against software patents. I encourage members and users of Debian to get involved with or donate to FFII and tell others about the dangers of software patents.
More information about the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure can be found at http://www.ffii.org/ -- Martin Michlmayr [EMAIL PROTECTED]