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EU Parliament Approves Software Patents

Posted by timothy on from the typical-statists dept.

AnteTempore writes "The voting has just ended. Few good and several bad amendments were accepted. The directive proposal was accepted: 361 for, 135 against, 28 abstentions. The precise numbers and results for each amendment will be available on europarl.eu.int tomorrow." Reader swentel submits this report on the vote (French) with slightly different numbers (364 voting yes, 153 No, 33 abstaining) but just as bad. Watch this story for updates. Update: 09/24 15:44 GMT by T : Dr.Seltsam writes to say that the early reports are "not quite correct. The German publisher Heise states in this article, that the vote concerned strong changes on the directive." In particular, "pure software patents will not be allowed." Google's translation engine does a decent job with the German.

8 of 678 comments (clear)

  1. Indicative by rhadamanthus · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I cannot think of a better demonstration that Business-Government "contracts" are entirely out of control. There were a lot of people and organizations that spoke out against this, to the point that some voting members felt "harassed" by non-industry folks. Nevertheless, the vote went to those who can pay the "lobbying fee". It is disgusting that this is becoming so prevelant the world over. Corporations have all the rights of citizens, but less responsibility, and damn near better access to the politicians who are supposed to represent the people/national interest. Mod me down as an anti-corporate flamer, but this is just all too indicative of the overall trend of every government.

    ---rhad

    --
    Slashdot needs to interview Natalie Portman.
  2. Re:Massive victory for Open Source campaign by Deusy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder how many people will actually bother to understand what was and what wasn't passed.

    Judging by the average post so far on this story, most readers are seeing this as a very black and white situation.

    Passing bad, not passing good.

    --

    Free Gamer - Free games list and commentary

  3. Unfortunate by Headius · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I suppose you Europeans can't hassle us Yanks as much for having draconian patent laws. Now you see how difficult it is to inform those in power what a bad idea they are.

    However, it is certainly a sad day for software freedom in the EU and around the world. What is it we are not communicating effectively? Why does this keep happening again and again?

  4. Flashpoint by Esion+Modnar · · Score: 3, Interesting
    There's going to come a time when 95% of the people have an epiphany that they truly are no longer being represented in a democratic system.

    Then the shit's hitting the fan. It'll make 9/11 look like a fender-bender.

    --

    They say the first thing to go is your penis. Well, it's either that or your brain. I forget which...
  5. Re:A quick translation... by |DeN|niS · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Frits Bolkenstein of course being the famous Dutch politician who spent a decade or so sitting in the government lobbying on behalf of a pharmaceutical company (was a funny situation when it was discovered and all the commissions/bonuses paid etc were made public.He's quite cheap apparently. Of course he didn't resign or anything). So this is where he went. Great.

  6. Re:Well Well... by Gonarat · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I hope it doesn't come to that, but perhaps we need to start thinking about hosting open source software in a software patent free location. I would hate to see a great open source application disappear from Sourceforge because it "violated" some stupid software patent.


    Our whole current "IP" scheme makes me sick. We are tying our hands with software patents, many of our Elderly (at least here in the good 'ole USA) cannot afford their medicine due to Pharma charging them out the Wazoo, we have the RIAA sueing 12 year olds and 71 year olds instead of changing with the times, and I could go on and on. I still hope that there will eventually be a popular uprising against what is going on, but I am not going to hold my breath. On second thought, perhaps a corporate-free techno-utopia is our only hope...

    --
    Beware of Sleestak
  7. FFII: "This has become our directive" by infolib · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Europarl votes for Real Limits on Patentability

    FFII News -- For Immediate Release -- Please Redistribute
    See http://swpat.ffii.org/#news

    Now we will have to see whether the European Commission is committed to "harmonisation and clarification" or only to patent owner interests.

    Yesterday's threats uttered by Bolkestein against the European Parliament suggest the latter.

    The detailed results are available on our site

    http://swpat.ffii.org/news/03/plen0923/

    It will now be our job to help the European Parliament assert itself against attempts by Bolkestein and patent lawyers wearing the hat of national governments to crush the directive project.

    The current text has some remaining contraditions in it, but basically the thrust has been turned around. It has become our directive which we must help the European Parliament to defend. This is also a question of the European Parliament's role in an emerging democratic Europe. On the whole this is very good news for the EU.

    --
    Hartmut Pilch, FFII & Eurolinux Alliance tel. +49-89-18979927
    Protecting Innovation against Patent Inflation http://swpat.ffii.org/
    270,000 votes 2000 firms against software patents http://noepatents.org/

    --
    Any sufficiently advanced libertarian utopia is indistinguishable from government.
  8. The topic is wrong, patents are NOT APROVED by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 4, Interesting

    According to heise.de software patents are not aproved.

    Most or all points under discussion in the latest /. storries are REJECTED.

    There are no software patents, no business methods and no algorithms patentable.

    Interoperability between software, even if parts belong to patented devices, is granted.

    Again ... hundrets(nearly :-) ) of insightfull ratings on complete false comments :-) No wonder when the /. storry itself is false.

    angel'o'sphere

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.