Axel H. Horns complains about an misleading article describing the politician Klaus-Heiner Lehne as "Patentanwalt" (patent attorney).
He is right, of course. The article in question was wrong in that detail.
However, as FFII has discovered, Mr. Lehne seems to wear a second hat as head of the division of "regulatory affairs" at a big German law firm. See this press release from the law firm in question (in German).
I don't know what exactly the legal and ethical rules for lawyers are who want to work as lobbyists and politicians at the same time. My first impression is that these two functions are imcompatible. How are people supposed to be assured that there is no conflict of interest, if they don't know what clients he is serving in his function as head of "Regulatory Affairs"? How do we know that none of the Big Spender Alliance's many dollars are in the pocket of Mr. Lehne?
Getting the "Patentanwalt" thing wrong might be the smallest of the problems here.
I might add that I am in no way speaking for FFII here. It only happens to be my personal belief that any Member of Parliament has no business whatsoever selling advice about "Regulatory Affairs".
And, to make that perfectly clear, that belief has nothing to do with what Mr. Lehne might support or not support in the debate about software patents. I would have exactly the same problems with this kind of shady arrangement if he was on our side.
Posted by Karl-Friedrich Lenz at June 26, 2005 11:16 PM