Richard Stallman Addresses Brazilian Congress on Free Software

Richard M. Stallman, founder and president of the Free Software Foundation (FSF), addressed the members of the Brazilian Congress on the issues of free software, the ethics of copyright, and the dangers of software patents. He stressed both the ethical and practical importance of free software, which grants other developers the freedom to examine and improve the software. Stallman also discussed issues of copyright and patents, and how they should be interpreted in terms of freedom for software users and programmers. The visit is indicative of the rising interest in free software in Brazil, which represents the largest growing market for hardware and software in Latin America.