First of all, sorry for not being able to join the call, all of us had to be in another meeting. Thank you for discussion first ideas!
We had provided Johanna already with some ideas beforehand, so here just a few thoughts again:
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Our assessment of the screaming vegetables in front of the EPO is, that unfortunately, we don’t think it has much potential to make the news now, mostly because they were already in front
of the same building before, and media do not like that (even if they have not reported on them already).
Maybe there is another way for a picture without very much effort or budget, that creates a new visual? Or at least to add to the veggies? We could e.g. bury seed diversity (or the screaming veggies?) in a cheap coffin or something and show that for us it’s
not time to celebrate and more a funeral for diversity?
It could also be a banner with a catchy phrase, so that the message is clear – for me that’s not so clear with the pots and vegetables for an outsider, but I wasn’t present in the call.
If it’s about being loud, and we are few, we need to make sure to find a way we look as if we were more ;) The safer way would be a picture opportunity, where we have more
control of the picture, but a demo is fine, if we can really mobilise the 50 people, including maybe some farmers? I also think just having a basic megaphone would be needed to be heard even if only for the 50 people but next to the street.
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We completely agree the event should be confrontational!
But for media and knowing there is not a lot of resources to prepare a new report, is there any way to easily recycle things we have, so that they relate to the anniversary? E.g. “50 years – 50+ failures to protect diversity”, and then just copy a list of examples
existing patents on plants on a 3-pager for an overview? I think it could be done with the research we have, just choosing the iconic patents we have on the NPOS website + the latest ones from the last two reports.
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Since we very confidentially know there will be discussions about the Austrian law in upcoming meetings, we think it would be really good to remember to send a heads-up/press release to
all delegations a few days in advance, so they come mentally prepared J
Cheers,
Dagmar
Von: Npos_2018 <npos_2018-bounces@testbiotech.de>
Im Auftrag von Johanna Eckhardt
Gesendet: Dienstag, 18. Juli 2023 16:15
An: npos_2018@testbiotech.de
Betreff: [Npos_2018] Proposal for EPO anniversary 5 Oct.
Dear all,
here are our first ideas for an event around the EPO anniversary. Please come back with your feedback until the end of July.
On the 5th of October, late morning, we could have the Screaming vegetables marching along the road of the EPO and have around 50 people joining us who make a lot of noise by banging kitchen pots, pot lits,
etc.
1 or 2 people of us could make a little speech for the people present (without microphone/technical equipment). We would hope that media would show up to make interviews with us.
The event should rather be confrontational, not focus so much on presenting our facts again (since we already did that many times), but rather saying that the EPO still doesn’t do anything.
Christoph will be on his well deserved holiday at that date.
Let us know what you think about the idea and if you would be able to travel to Munich.
Kind regards,
Johanna
Mag. Johanna ECKHARDT
Project Coordination
Tel. +43 680 21 26 343
johanna.eckhardt@no-patents-on-seeds.org
NO PATENTS ON SEEDS!
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