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Europe Starts Debate On Patents

Posted by Hemos on from the blow-open-the-talks dept.

Anonymous Coward writes "According to this paper on Wired News, a tremendous battle between pro- and anti-patents in starting this week in Europe. Countries that seem to be ready to vote for software patents include Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, Lichtenstein, Monaco and the Netherlands, and countries opposing them are currently: Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, Sweden and the U.K."

10 of 97 comments (clear)

  1. Watch out for UK U-turns... by jatbrowne · · Score: 3
    Look at the issue of gene patents. The UK government is quite happy to allow biotech firms to patent genes - many British companies stand to make a lot of money from it. As soon as it starts to look like British firms will profit in the long term from software patenting, expect the government to do an abrupt about face.

    Cheers

    jb

  2. Consultation by Niggle · · Score: 3

    The UK patent office is curently seeking opionions about software patents. Your views may count.

    Go to their homepage and follow the links.

    We want our views heard, so keep replies polite, considered etc. etc. (you know the drill).

    --
    - Blah blah blah, missing scientist. Blah blah blah, atomic bomb. -
  3. It's not only about article 52 ! by arnim · · Score: 3
    Please note that the discussion is not only about article 52 (which prohibits patenting of programs) but also article 33. The basic proposal of the conference intends to change it in a way, that the EPO may itself change article 52!

    Bernhard Lang writes:

    is proposed by EPO, so that it can change the EPC (european patent convention, i.e. the very text under discussion) to put it in agreement with other international treaties. Agreement is of course what the EPO considers as agreement. For example, if EPC 52.2 modification does not pass, but EPC 33 does, EPO could decide that its interpretation of the TRIPS agreement requires to remove EPC 52.2 and allows patenting software, or what else. Given the past record of the EPO, their propensity to bend rules that have been fixed, you can guess what will happen if you give them the right to change the rules according to their own assessment of the situation.

    By the way, it is not clear that all countries are aware of what is hidden in the proposed modification of 33. More national lobbying and information has beenshould be done on that issue.

  4. Re:I'm thinkin' France, German, UK, et. al. will w by Tyndareos · · Score: 3

    Isn't the patent on nuking in either US' or Russian hands? If the French or the Brittish would try and deploy those tactics they would be sued their pants off ...

  5. I'm thinkin' France, German, UK, et. al. will win by Infonaut · · Score: 3
    Why?

    Bigger armies. Although those Greeks are nothing to scoff at it in a fight.

    If it comes down to it, both the French and Brits have nukes, though I doubt they'd use 'em unless they had to go on the defensive.

    Vegas odds say 3:1 for the big guys.

    --
    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
  6. Petition against Software Patents in Europe by Mop · · Score: 4
    If you:
    • are concerned by the current plans to legalize software patents in Europe, considering their damaging effect on innovation and competition
    • are concerned by the possible use of software patents to patent business methods, education methods, health methods, etc
    • are concerned by the current track record of abuses from the European Patent Office, especially by their tendency to abuse their judicial power to extend the scope of patentability
    Please, go and sign the Petition for a Software Patent Free Europe
    1. Re:Petition against Software Patents in Europe by arnim · · Score: 3
      no, if You're really concerned, don't be the 58.000th to sign the petition. if You're living in europe, pls take part in the consultation of the "Directorate General for the Internal Market" about the "patentability of computer-implemented inventions". This commission is outside the patent offices and they are asking specifically for opinions from european companies and organisations about software patents.

      Also available in french and german.

      This is really something, where You can change something, don't just sign the petition and think it'll all get fine.

  7. patent lawyers... by tewwetruggur · · Score: 5
    I know a couple of patent lawyers... and from what I've seen - they are probably some of the few partent attorneys that have a clue - they'll flat out tell you that if your patent is weak, don't waste their time, or yours for that matter.

    I get to see all sorts of patents roll across my desk (its part of the background research for what it is that I do - which is not computer related) - and I'll tell ya - shitty patents are everywhere... not just in software. I think the patent office needs a good beating - their stance seem to be "pass 'em all and make the companies / lawyers sort out the real details". Well, gee - thanks for doing NOTHING. Such a useful organization...

    --
    Hi! This is the Sig, blatantly attached to the end of this comment.
  8. Re:Software patents by Mike+Connell · · Score: 3

    > ...for (i=0;i>iMax;i++) {...

    I wouldn't mind if that was patentable. In fact I'd *like* all bugs ('>' instead of '<') to be patented. That way I wouldn't have to debug, I could just release code and wait for the patent infringment claims to come rolling in. At least the laywers would be useful then... ;-)

    Mike.

    --
    Tales from behind the Lagom Curtain
  9. The situation is "patently" astounding by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3

    I've never quite figured out people who are opposed to software patents. Sure, they can be abused (like Amazon's "one-click" patent), but is that any reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater? Large corporations, though they are much maligned on Slashdot, invest billions of dollars in research and development. And the standard Slashdot reader seems to think that the result of that billion-dollar research should be free for the taking for anybody who wants it. Does this even remotely make sense?

    This, I think, is one of the negative impacts that Linux and the whole "open source" software movement is having on the industry. Don't get me wrong .. I think Linux and open source are great things, but the problem is that once people get accustomed to getting things free, on demand, and their way whenever they want, they start thinking that everything should be that way. And as I have said, when a corporation has invested billions of dollars in an idea, the notion that they should just up and give it away to everybody for free is just plain stupid.

    I think we can have our cake and eat it too. High-quality open source ventures such as Linux can co-exist in a world where reasonable software patents exist and are enforced. Enforcement is important because it guarantees a corporation's right to continue to innovate (stupid buzzword, I know) without fear of theft. But we should not get into a situation where big government tries to assume too much power and attempts to strangle business. How much blood has been spilled by oppressive government in the last century? This is precisely what we do not need.