Michel Rocard Passed Away

Michel Rocard, former Prime Minister and member of the European Parliament, passed away on Saturday, July 2nd, 2016. In 2009, when he left the European Parliament, April had the chance to acknowledge Rocard's decisive involvement in the efforts to ban software patents, which, using his political power, he had opposed vigorously.

ZDNet and Libération recalled what he stood for: Rocard, a "noob" respected by the advocates of digital freedoms (article in French) and Michel Rocard, victorious hero in the fight against software patents (article in French).

Another initiative, perhaps less well known: Michel Rocard was one of the signatories of a 2008 draft written declaration of the European Parliament on the use of free software. Unfortunatly, the declaration was not adopted, and it would take until 2015 for the European Parliament to call on the European Union to migrate to free software.

April extends its deepest condolences to his family and friends.