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Europe Divided on Software Patents

Posted by michael on from the patently-obvious-patents dept.

Anonymous Coward writes "Just when we thought we were safe in Europe, it looks as though patents for business processes could be voted through after all. Check this link."

3 comments

  1. Nothing to say? by psicic · · Score: 1

    It's probably a side effect of the level of debate that has gone on here at /. that this story has recieved so few posts. As for the story itself - it's nothing.

    First of all, in the hierarcy of things, the Competition Directorate(doesn't that sound so cool?) has huge political clout. The other one...Internal Markets? Actually, I can't say I ever heard of it, and I live in Europe!(Is that the metre-stick by which things are measured? 8)
    Then there's the fact that the overwhelming feeling on the street is not to follow the US model. The majority of politicans who have stated a position on the issue are against the US patenting ethos. As for civil servants...I never thought they would have a widely different position.
    This story seems like a little bit of hysteria...maybe trying to show a division in Europe that simply does not exist.

    Then again, I could be wrong...as could all the people who are against such patents and thinks they have a significant upperhand...


    8)

    --
    Concrete analysis...
    1. Re:Nothing to say? by LarsG · · Score: 2

      Europe is not exactly divided on software patents.

      You have a small, but powerful, group of lawyers that want to see business and software patents. They tried to get this approved before any real studies could be done on the effects of sw/b patents.

      These studies are now starting to show up, and it seems like we're winning.

      Check the UK patent office conclusion on sw/bm patents.

      --
      If J.K.R wrote Windows: Puteulanus fenestra mortalis!
  2. You know, Michael,... by Kasreyn · · Score: 2

    You *could* provide some commentary to let us know what this link IS before we go unleashing the /. effect hither, thither and yon, eh?

    I'm personally wondering if some of /.'s editors could be replaced by a post sifting script that rates the value of a submission by whether it contains weighted words like "Linux", "Napster", "RIAA", "FBI", "Carnivore"... Hmmm, wonder if this is the case already? =P

    -Kasreyn

    --
    Kasreyn: Cheerfully playing the part of Devil's Advocate to hairtrigger /. flamers since 1999.