Writing Effectively to Congress
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I've been told that the House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property is receiving a good deal of mail about software patents, much of it due to the LPF position paper published in Dr. Dobb's Journal.

This makes a good opportunity for the rest of us to join in sending letters.  We have got something going, so let's give it an extra push.

When you write a letter to your senator or representative, it is always best to choose your own words.  The reason is that sending a copy of a form letter is very easy; it doesn't involve much effort or thought, and the recipient knows this.  Sending form letters is good for mass movements that can impress officials with their sheer numbers, but it isn't much good for our movement.

Congressional staff have said that handwritten letters have the most effect, followed by typed letters, handwritten post cards, typed post cards, and phone calls (in that order).  Use official stationery of any sort that is legitimately available to you.

Make sure that the first couple of paragraphs stand on their own as a summary of your position, since the person who reads the letter may not read more than that.

Be sure to explain very early on how the issue is important to the general public or to the national economy.  If this isn't explicit, the reader may assume that you are asking for a personal favor, and that would have much less weight.

Most legislators do not pay a great deal of attention to most of the issues that Congress considers---they don't have time.  When they decide what to do about a specialized issue, they either make a deal or follow the advice of those who are most concerned with it.

So the legislators we need to try to reach are those who are especially interested in high-tech issues, and those with a special position such as a seat on the House or Senate subcommittee that deals with intellectual property.  That's why we recommend writing to the subcommittees themselves.  Letters to a subcommittee are shown to the members of the committee.

     House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property
     2137 Rayburn Bldg
     Washington, DC 20515

     Senate Subcommittee on Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights
     United States Senate
     Washington, DC 20510

Send a copy to each of them; it's not clear how well they communicate about their letters.