“This question and related ones were asked at a conference held
last Friday, where panelists discussed the pros and cons of
different software licensing models and whether the U.S. government
should get involved in the debate.“The panel was stocked with an economist, a researcher, a
professor, and a representative from Microsoft — all invited to
participate by hosts the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and
the Brookings Institution, two organizations that analyze the
impact of government regulation on the economy.“But audience member Richard Stallman, president of the Free
Software Foundation, nearly stole the panel’s thunder as he grabbed
a microphone during the question and answer period and attempted to
commandeer the conference to address what he described as
mischaracterizations the panel made about the free software
movement. Stallman had not been invited as a panelist…”