No. 43 Florian Mueller, campaigner against software patents
Last year's position: Not placed
The debate over the legalisation of software patents in Europe has been fierce - with the anti camp arguing patents will hamper innovation and stunt Europe's software industry, and the pro camp claiming they will make the industry more dynamic and competitive worldwide.Florian Mueller debuts on the Agenda Setters list for his role as an anti-software patent activist. The founder and manager of the NoSoftwarePatents.com campaign, he is leading the charge in getting the message out to the media and building a community online, and has had some success lobbying politicians behind the scenes.
The EU software patent directive was voted down earlier this year but the issue is far from resolved. As the debate continues, Mueller will continue to fight against software patents, aided by the foundation of support he's already built up.
Take a walk down memory lane - and find out who made the Agenda Setters poll over the years:
"China clearly has many dimensions and many are setting an agenda. It's at the political level, it's at the investment level, it's at the contract manufacturing level and it's at the software level - it's all over."
--Peter Rowell, Regent Associates executive chairman and Agenda Setters panellist
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The resurrection of Steve Jobs The Economist
Developing the Skype ecosystem: Q&A with CEO Niklas Zennstrom DigiTimes.com
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