]> Digital Rights Network - Government (Non-UK) http://drn.okfn.org/taxonomy/term/27/0 en EUCD / DADVSI : what is going on with the new French copyright law ? http://drn.okfn.org/node/119 <p>Jean-Baptiste Soufron has posted a useful summary of current state of the French effort to transpose the EUCD into national law: <a >http://soufron.typhon.net/article.php3?id_article=132</a></p> Fri, 28 Apr 2006 13:12:37 +0100 Norwegian Minister: Proprietary Formats Not Acceptable http://drn.okfn.org/node/60 <p> The Norwegian government is taking large steps in their software policy: everybody in the public sector has to develop a plan for use of open source solutions within 2006. The Norwegian Minister of Modernization, Morton A. Meyer, presented new plan for information technology in Norway called “eNorge – the digital leap", where one of the points concerned open standards and open source. The details are not yet finalized, but the plan stipulate these objectives for standardization and open source: </p> Wed, 20 Jul 2005 18:57:08 +0100 Government-funded Free Information for Chemists 'Unfair' Competition for Private Monopolies http://drn.okfn.org/node/56 <p> Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), a subsidiary of the American Chemical Society (founded 1909), is unhappy because the Federal Government has funded an open scientific database called PubChem that *might* compete with their service. CAS President Massie stated: <q>It would not only injure us significantly, it would put information for free in the hands of world scientists and do it all with taxpayer money. For me to wake up one morning and find I have to compete with my own government is extraordinary.</q> (The fact that much of the money paying for subscriptions to the CAS come from taxpayer-funded scientists seems to have passed him by). </p> Tue, 10 May 2005 11:15:52 +0100 The Viennese Decide http://drn.okfn.org/node/35 <p>Viennese authorities are allowing users of the city's governmental PCs to choose between Open Source or proprietary software. The case is usually heard from advocates on one or other side of the debate; now end-users get to have their say. They can choose between continuing to run Word on Windows, running Open Office on the same platform, or switching to open platform and application. IT staff are offering free installations for any switches, and they will charge departments lower maintenance costs if they run open software. The lines are drawn. Read more <a ></p> Tue, 10 May 2005 10:55:55 +0100