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An international open letter to Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in support of the work of the Brazilian society and government for the cultural commons is now online: http://www.petitiononline.com/CSGFeb11/petition.html. It has been signed by international organizations, academics and activists.  The letter points out a range of achievements by the previous Ministry of Culture (MinC), including the support for free software, the Development Agenda at WIPO, an open inclusive dialogue in society about culture policies, the adoption of free licenses and the copyright bill.

The International Open Letter follows an Open Letter by the Brazilian civil society in December, expressing concern that Rousseff’s appointment of Ana de Hollanda as new Minister of Culture might lead to a reversal of the progressive policies of under the Ministers Gilberto Gil and Juca Ferreira. This reversal is already taking place, and it includes the removal of the Creative Commons licenses from the Ministry’s website, and the suspension of the copyright reform process.

The letter, an initiative of Commons Strategies Group with other partners, was presented to a considerable number of international media and communication networks at the World Social Forum and was released to international media by Monday, February 21. The open letter was welcomed by the Brazilian organizations, who agreed that the international visibility can make a significant difference.

If you agree with the text, please support and help disseminate this initiative.