It took intensive lobbying by several groups from Civil Society to include the words "free software" in the WSIS declaration of principles, Georg Greve, president of the Free Software Foundation (FSF) Europe, told the International Data Group (IDG).

Advocacy to promote open source software in the draft was earlier downplayed due to the pro-corporate biases of US and European government delegates. According to Greve, the language in the endorsed declaration of principles has gone from outright "support" of open source software to "promoting" an increased awareness of the "different software models, including proprietary, open source, and free software."

Note the distinction between free software and open source. Greve said that free software gives users the freedom to modify, distribute, and use software in an unlimited way. The term "open source" has been co-opted by proprietary software corporations such as Microsoft, when referring to the act of showing its software code to governments. (Further watering down of the free software provision is still possible, because under the United Nations system, governments have the power to veto and make decisions on the wording.)

Advocates for inclusivity and the right to access of software and content had a difficult time negotiating with those who represented the corporate control of information.

The U.S. delegation reportedly even invited a group of motion picture executives to attend a session advocating IPR of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Greve said they struck a bargain to "let us squeeze in the word 'free' " in a paragraph on software in exchange for "a very general statement on intellectual property right protection" which read:

Intellectual Property protection is important to encourage innovation and creativity in the information society; similarly, the wide disseminating, diffusion, and sharing of knowledge is important to encourage innovation and creativity. Facilitating meaningful participation by all in an intellectual property issues and knowledge sharing through full awareness and capacity building is a fundamental part of an inclusive information society.

More details on IPR will be taken up in the second phase of the summit, to be held in Tunis, Tunisia, in 2005.

Source: "Wording on software and IPR reflects tough battle" by John Blau as posted on IDG News Service last 12 January 2004 at http://www.idg.com.sg/idgwww.nsf/unidlookup/145085BE5F061A7748256DFA000CE02B?OpenDocument