In February 2010, the International Intellectual Property Association (IIPA) asked the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to put Indonesia, Brazil, India, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam on its "Special 301" watch list in part because of their policies encouraging the adoption of open source software (OSS) by government agencies.
The government of Indonesia, through Minister of Administrative Reform's Letter encourages Government agencies to use legal software which includes Open Source Software. This is seen by IIPA as encouraging a mindset that does not give due consideration to the value of 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 to meet the needs of their organizations and the Indonesian people.
In response to the mentioned IIPA request, the Association of Open Source Indonesia (AOSI) has made the following statement :
- AOSI regrets IIPA's action which actually has hindered Indonesian Government's effort to respect Intellectual Property Rights by replacing illegally used software with legal Open Source Software.
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AOSI is in the opinion that IIPA is trying to prevent the freedom to choose Open Source Software by giving pressure to every effort to find alternatives from using a certain product.
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Various organizations such as Open Source Initiative (OSI) Categorically Rejects IIPA's special pleadings against Open Source. http://www.opensource.org/node/511
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AOSI supports OSI' s opinion that the entire position taken by IIPA is unbalanced. It relies on outdated definitions, special interests and a fear of innovation and new business model opportunities.
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AOSI also agrees with Open Source for America (OSFA)'s opinion that the IIPA's request is both irresponsible and misleading in its characterization of OSS.OSFA strongly urges the USTR, and all government agencies, to firmly reject such unfounded pressure to blacklist or penalize any country for policies allowing or encouraging the use of OSS.
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AOSI encourage the Government of Indonesia to take a firm position on IIPA's action since if Indonesia is indeed included in the Special 301 Watch List, it may impact overall trade.
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AOSI suggests that we continue to promote the use of Open Source Software as part of our effort to respect Intellectual Property Right and to pursue independency in ICT regardless of IIPA's position.
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AOSI supports government's effort to encourage Indonesians to innovate and develop new creation in ICT, which will enable clean and transparent government, support economic growth, and the prosperity of Indonesia.
Jakarta, March 2010
On behalf of Indonesian's Open Source Community
Association of Open Source Indonesia
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