Nominations for World Memory in 2003
"France - Déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme et du citoyen de 1789
(...)
Worldwide - Free Software"

Nomination form sent for UNESCO World Memory Register (december 2002)

Action at LSM2002 (invitation to UNESCO director, round table, etc)

First contacts with P. Aigrain, Head of Sector "Software Technologies" at the European Commission, and A. Abid from "Memory of the world" UNESCO project

Interview of Benoît Sibaud by French magazine Newbiz

From another interview of Richard M. Stallman at LinuxExpo, Paris, on January 30th 2002. Available on the Web at colibrix.org (question and answer were in French)

"To serve humanity with software, software should be free, because software belong to human knowledge. Proprietary software do not belongs to human knowledge."

First contacts with UNESCO and French national commission

Question to Richard M. Stallman with his interview on January 27th 2002 at LinuxExpo, Paris. Avalaible on the Web at April (question and answer were in French)

In France, a work group was set to ask the UNESCO to schedule free software as world human heritage.

RMS: What that means exactly?

It would be a official recognition from UNESCO who is an international organisation that free software is a world human heritage and should be protected as art work, like say, statues.

RMS: Protected from software patents ?

Protected from everything, from appropriation in general. What do you think of this initiative?

RMS: As a general idea, it seems OK to me. It is really a human heritage. As a legal decision, I'd see the exact implications before giving an opinion. Because on details there could be problems. It is a question of details. That's why I asked what that means exactly. Because if it is a general idea, no problem, if it is a legal decision with specific consequences, one should see what will happen.