"The Netherlands Patent Office is the first government authority
to implement the 'Nederland Open in Connection' action plan and to
switch a large number of its ICT systems to what is known as open
source software. As the first step, Frank Heemskerk, minister of
Foreign Affairs launched the new website of the Netherlands Patent
Office today, which is based on open source software. By the end of
2009, the entire office environment, including desktop computer
systems and the relationship management system will be running on
the basis of open source software.
"Open source software allows free access to its source code
which means that it can be freely edited by users and there are no
licensing costs. The open source pilot project at the Netherlands
Patent Office is part of Heemskerk's action plan 'Nederland in Open
Connection', in which a number of specific measures are put forward
to encourage the use of open standards and open source software in
government authorities. 'Wider use of open source software offers
greater opportunities for new software companies. It also reduces
the government's dependency on fixed suppliers and ensures lower
costs', explains Heemskerk. According to the minister, the
Netherlands Patent Office is an important front runner with its
plans and serves as a good example to other government authorities
that have yet to implement the action plan.
"With the website launched today, the Netherlands Patent Office
is the first Dutch government organisation to use open source
software on its website, in combination with the new government
'house style'. According to president Guus Broesterhuizen, the
Netherlands Patent Office is actively working towards wider use of
open source software and open standards, and he believes that the
website is the first public display of this commitment. 'In
addition, visitors to the new website can see clearly how much it
will cost to apply for a patent. This will ensure that the costs
and benefits of using patents become even more transparent,
particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises', explains
Broesterhuizen."
