EU software patents directive delayed

[Henk Elegeert]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

http://www.edri.org/edrigram

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EU software patents directive delayed
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According to a report in the EU eGovernment News, the formal
approval of the draft Directive on the patentability of
computer-implemented inventions by the EU Competitiveness
Council has been postponed due to translation delays.

"The political agreement between Member States over the
draft Directive on the patentability of computer-implemented
inventions was expected to be approved during the EU's
Competitiveness Council meeting held on 24/09/2004, before
being sent back to the European Parliament for a second
reading. However, the item was removed from the Council’s
agenda due to delays in translation."

The Council text was agreed upon by the Member States on 18
May 2004. In many national parliaments a heated debate
followed, asking the respective ministers to explain their
approval of patents on software. The Dutch minister of
Economical Affairs was even forced by the Dutch Parliament
to withdraw his approval. In that light, the 'translation
delays' give the Ministers welcome time to negotiate their
strong political differences.

The European Parliament probably won't be able to start the
second reading before the end of 2004. Opponents of software
patentability look forward to this second reading, since the
former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard was appointed to
draw up the response. During the first reading, Rocard
showed great care about the social and economical
consequences of patenting computer algorithms.

A new campaign against software patents in the EU was
launched today in 12 languages at www.nosoftwarepatents.com.
The campaign is managed by Florian Müller of SWM
Software-Marketing GmbH and is supported by three corporate
partners: 1&1, Red Hat, and MySQL AB. "Software patents are
used for anti-competitive purposes, stifle innovation, and
would cost the entire economy and society dearly", Florian
Müller says in the press release about the initiative.

Nosoftwarepatents website
http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/en/m/intro/index.html

EU software patents directive delayed (11.10.2004)
http://europa.eu.int/ida/en/document/3378/194

Interview with Michel Rocard (Liberation, 20.06.2003, paid
access)
http://www.libe.fr/page.php?Article=121303

English translation of the interview (for free)
http://www.aful.org/wws/arc/patents/2003-06/msg00221.html

"

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