Cybercrime and Patents in Europe

Hairy1 writes: "The Council of Europe has been working on a Cyber Crime Treaty for some time. The final version is now available, and makes interesting reading." The submitter points out that treaty signers will be obligated to create legislation, as the UK already has, to force people to disclose passwords and encryption keys to the authorities. The U.S. may well sign this treaty - we've participated in the drafting process. On a slightly different note, people are up in arms because the European Patent Office has decided, apparently on its own, that software programs are patentable. Update: 11/09 15:23 GMT by M : A reader sent in this interesting bibliography of the treaty's history.

Comments

Software isn't patentable...

[cperciva]

but a software implementation of an invention does not render the invention unpatentable either.

All this latest directive does is clarify that an implementation in software has no effect on an invention's patentability: If you could get an patent on a method for doing something by using LEGO bricks, you could likewise get a patent on a method for doing the same thing using software.

What's the big deal?

Re:Hmm

[flumps]

EU legislation is changing the way we live in Europe (our part of it, at least), and though it isn't always comfortable, it is very useful, makes sense, and often means less cost, less administration (true, the EU is very bureaucratic, but think of all the national instituions that are no longer needed due to the EU's multilateral institutions)

<offtopicrant>
What? You mean like the drivers licences that we carry around now - a) we have a picture card b) we have a paper counterpart.

If I could carry one or the other it makes sense, but when it comes to using it, we have to produce both?? . Crazy. Whats the point? I have to not only carry around a wad of paper and a card but also pay EXTRA for the convienience? And what about all the additional paperwork that has to be carried out? I have to get it signed by pope john paul before I can send it off and then if I sign it wrong they'll just send it back! What rubbish.

Or how about the man prosecuted for selling bananas in lbs instead of kilos? <sarcasm>Sure, that makes life much easier and makes complete sense.</sarcasm>
</offtopicrant>

Anyway, I've read elsewhere on the threads here that its not the EU anyway, its a different body (EC or sommit) so the point is somewhat moot.