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<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
*Von: *Jack Kloppenburg <<a href="mailto:jrkloppe@wisc.edu" target="_blank">jrkloppe@wisc.edu</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:jrkloppe@wisc.edu" target="_blank">jrkloppe@wisc.edu</a>>><br>
*Datum: *16. Mai 2014 16:47:10 MESZ<br>
*An: *Jack Kloppenburg <<a href="mailto:jrkloppe@wisc.edu" target="_blank">jrkloppe@wisc.edu</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:jrkloppe@wisc.edu" target="_blank">jrkloppe@wisc.edu</a>>><br>
*Betreff: **Open Source Seed Initiative*<br>
<br>
Good friends,<br>
<br>
Thank you all for contacting us about the Open Source Seed Initiative<br>
(OSSI) and our April 17 action.<br>
<br>
I apologize for this impersonal mass mailing. I would have preferred<br>
to contact each of you individually, but the number of you who want to<br>
know what OSSI is doing makes this collective response much more<br>
efficient. That we have heard from so many individuals and<br>
organizations around the world is very exciting - we can be a global<br>
movement to “free the seed”!<br>
<br>
On April 17, 2014, OSSI organized an action on the campus of the<br>
University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. We released seed of 36<br>
cultivars of 14 species, from seven breeders, under an open source<br>
“pledge.” In speeches at the event, OSSI’s “free” seeds were compared<br>
to the “indentured” seeds covered by IPRs. OSSI seed packets were<br>
distributed to the crowd, which then collectively read the pledge aloud.<br>
<br>
We received substantial press coverage. Social media then carried<br>
reports of our action around the world, which is likely how you<br>
learned of OSSI’s work. To learn more about OSSI and our action, go<br>
to OSSI’s web page at <a href="http://www.opensourceseedinitiative.org" target="_blank">www.opensourceseedinitiative.<u></u>org</a><br>
or visit us on Facebook at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/opensourceseedinitiative" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/<u></u>opensourceseedinitiative</a><br>
A set of links to media reports on the April 17 action is on our web<br>
page, and a nice set of images of the April 17 action is available at<br>
<a href="http://ecals.cals.wisc.edu/2014/04/18/open-source-seed-rollout-draws-a-crowd/" target="_blank">http://ecals.cals.wisc.edu/<u></u>2014/04/18/open-source-seed-<u></u>rollout-draws-a-crowd/</a><br>
<br>
For more information on the April 17 action, see the attached pdf<br>
documents:<br>
“April 17 press release final” - for a pre-action account, listing of<br>
breeders and cultivars<br>
“April 17 follow-up letter” - for a post-action account<br>
See also an extensive article by journalist Lisa Hamilton in the<br>
/Virginia Quarterly Review/ that has just been published and provides<br>
a third-party analysis of OSSI’s work:<br>
<a href="http://www.vqronline.org/reporting-articles/2014/05/linux-lettuce" target="_blank">http://www.vqronline.org/<u></u>reporting-articles/2014/05/<u></u>linux-lettuce</a><br>
<br>
For those of you who want to go deeper, I also attach three documents<br>
that - when read in sequence - outline the thinking that has informed<br>
the development of OSSI. The sequence is “Kloppenburg 2010,”<br>
“Kloppenburg 2014,” Kloppenburg et al 2014.” That final document<br>
(“Kloppenburg et al 2014") is quite short and is especially important<br>
since it explains OSSI’s abandonment of efforts to develop a legally<br>
binding license and our subsequent commitment to an ethically<br>
sanctioned “pledge.”<br>
<br>
OK, so what is OSSI about and where are we going, and how might you be<br>
involved?<br>
<br>
The Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) was established in May, 2012,<br>
by a group of public plant breeders, small seed company plant<br>
breeders, farmer-breeders, and advocates for seed sovereignty. OSSI<br>
was formed in order to enhance vigorous innovation in plant breeding<br>
by the creation of a licensing framework for germplasm exchange that<br>
would preserve the right to unencumbered use of shared seeds and their<br>
progeny in subsequent use. We had hoped that we could develop a<br>
legally defensible license for germplasm in the way that the free and<br>
open source software movement developed its licenses.<br>
<br>
We spent nearly two years trying to develop a legally defensible<br>
license. While we found that we could write a legally defensible<br>
license, we also found that it would be unworkable for a variety of<br>
reasons (these reasons are outlined in “Kloppenburg et al 2014"). In<br>
summary, the legal requirements of the license are so complex as to<br>
make transmission of the license impractical and unlikely. Second,<br>
drawing as it would on the legal “tools of the master” (see<br>
“Kloppenburg 2014"), a license is philosophically and politically<br>
unacceptable to many organizations, mostly but not entirely in the<br>
Global South (we are especially grateful to colleagues at GRAIN and<br>
ETC Group for helping us understand this perspective).<br>
<br>
In February of 2014, OSSI made the hard but considered decision to<br>
abandon efforts to develop a legally defensible license and to shift<br>
to a pledge. This moves OSSI’s discourse and action from the legal<br>
field to the terrain of norms and ethics. We have found this shift to<br>
be stimulating, reinvigorating, and productive. The licensing<br>
approach was pulling us into a policing and bureaucratic orientation<br>
that was not congenial. Although our pledge is likely not legally<br>
binding, it is easily transmissible, it is viral, it is an<br>
uncompromising commitment to free exchange and use, and it is a very<br>
effective tool for outreach and education. The pledge is printed on<br>
all OSSI-distributed packets and reads:<br>
*“This Open Source Seed Pledge is intended to ensure your freedom to<br>
use the seed contained herein in any way you choose, and to make sure<br>
those freedoms are enjoyed by all subsequent users. By opening this<br>
packet, you pledge that you will not restrict others' use of these<br>
seeds and their derivatives by patents, licenses, or any other means.<br>
You pledge that if you transfer these seeds or their derivatives you<br>
will acknowledge the source of these seeds and accompany your transfer<br>
with this pledge.”**<br>
*<br>
The response to our April 17 action appears to confirm our decision to<br>
go with a pledge rather than a license. Not only have we received<br>
expressions of support from around the world, we have received over<br>
300 orders for OSSI’s free (as in speech, not as in beer!) seed from<br>
14 countries. There is clearly substantial interest in the US and<br>
internationally in what OSSI is doing. The potential for advocacy is<br>
enormous. Further, the demand for, and willing ness to pay for, OSSI<br>
seed was unexpected and substantial. This demand is likely not<br>
principally related to the agronomic characteristics of the seed, but<br>
to its sociopolitical content. It would appear that there is very<br>
considerable potential for supplying a market for “free seed” that is<br>
analogous to the market for “fair trade.” The implication is that<br>
carrying “free” seed in a commercial seed catalog can be attractive to<br>
small seed companies.<br>
<br>
OSSI will proceed with its work in the United States. We emphasize<br>
that we have no intention of becoming a seed company or a distributor<br>
of seed. We hope to establish a brand and logo associated with our<br>
pledge. We hope that breeders, seed savers, seed libraries, gardeners,<br>
and farmers will choose to exchange and share materials using our<br>
pledge. We especially hope that small, independent seed companies will<br>
offer OSSI-branded seed as part of their regular product mix (as High<br>
Mowing Organic Seeds is doing now - see<br>
<a href="http://www.highmowingseeds.com/organic-seeds-midnight-lightning-zucchini.html" target="_blank">http://www.highmowingseeds.<u></u>com/organic-seeds-midnight-<u></u>lightning-zucchini.html</a>).<br>
OSSI is envisioned as a vehicle for providing the organizing core of a<br>
network of free seed advocates.<br>
<br>
Here in the USA, OSSI intends to proceed now to:<br>
• register OSSI as a nonprofit organization<br>
• develop our web site as a resource for information on open source<br>
seed<br>
• develop an OSSI “brand”<br>
• send mailers of OSSI varieties to prominent people and<br>
organizations as outreach<br>
• plan a second release of OSSI varieties for 2015<br>
• work with our member seed companies to offer OSSI-branded cultivars<br>
<br>
While OSSI is US-based and US-oriented, there is clearly a large and<br>
global reservoir of interest in and support for “open source seed.”<br>
Can OSSI help facilitate development and growth of a global movement<br>
in support of free and open source seed?<br>
<br>
OSSI understands that thinking about application of open source<br>
mechanisms to seed has been going on all over the world for some time,<br>
and that conditions vary considerably by place and sociopolitics. We<br>
do not propose to insist on any particular approach. We have, however,<br>
engaged and thought through many of the issues - practical and<br>
theoretical - that you are encountering and that you are asking us<br>
about. We hope that our experience will be useful to your own work.<br>
Responding individually to your comments and queries will take come<br>
time. Would it not be cool and productive if a bunch of us could get<br>
together at one place at the same time? Can we find funds to support<br>
an international conference/workshop on free and open source seeds?<br>
<br>
After you process the information in this message and the attached<br>
documents, please let us hear from you. How can OSSI be useful to you?<br>
Can we build an international network?<br>
<br>
Please forward this material to anyone you think may be interested in<br>
OSSI or the movement to free the seed.<br>
<br>
Cheers to all.<br>
<br>
Jack<br>
<br>
<br>
--<br>
Jack Kloppenburg<br>
Professor, Department of Community and Environmental Sociology<br>
Director, GreenHouse Residential Learning Community<br>
Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies<br>
340A Agricultural Hall<br>
University of Wisconsin<br>
Madison, WI 53706 USA<br>
<a href="mailto:jrkloppe@wisc.edu" target="_blank">jrkloppe@wisc.edu</a><br>
<a href="mailto:jrkloppe@gmail.com" target="_blank">jrkloppe@gmail.com</a><br>
Phone: 608-262-6867<br>
<a href="http://www.dces.wisc.edu/faculty/kloppenburg/index.php" target="_blank">www.dces.wisc.edu/faculty/<u></u>kloppenburg/index.php</a><br>
<br>
"Well," she said, "you have a high tolerance for lunatics, don't you?"<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
</div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr"><div><b>Please note an intrusion wiped out my inbox on February 8; I have no record of previous communication, proposals, etc ..</b></div><div><br></div>P2P Foundation: <a href="http://p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://p2pfoundation.net</a> - <a href="http://blog.p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://blog.p2pfoundation.net</a> <br>
<br><a href="http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation" target="_blank"></a>Updates: <a href="http://twitter.com/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/mbauwens</a>; <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens</a><br>
<br>#82 on the (En)Rich list: <a href="http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/" target="_blank">http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/</a> <br></div>
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