There's a lot of pressure from the US (and some of it's allies) to "harmonize" with American ideas about patents and copyrights. The response by different nations has been wildly different -- some have chosen to play along while others have chosen to resist. What makes sense for one country won't make sense for another and it's all in the details. This talk examines existing legal patterns, the state of local economies and varying trade relationships in an effort to survey what kinds of resistance are possible or effective.

These issues have implications for not only free software activists, but for anyone who is concerned about local sovereignty and freedom of expression. Laws are written for the powerful to help them maintain their power, and resistance is always difficult. But what if we could share not only our code, but our strategies for passing laws, rearranging policy and carving out a safe place for free software and free culture to flourish?

This is a top level survey of the global state of software patents and copyright law. Both local and global policies affect our ability to build things that are needful or locally useful, even when they aren't profitable. Local innovation is our best chance to solve many of our local problems, so let's get to it!