Dutch Parliament Reverses Software Patent Vote

Sanity writes "On May 18th, by a thin majority, the European Council of Ministers voted in favor of throwing out the European Parliament's efforts to keep software patents out of Europe. According to an FFII press release, the Dutch Parliament yesterday voted to change its Minister's vote, which was in favor, to an abstension. This is an unprecidented move and a great coup for those fighting against software patents, never before has a country reversed a vote in this manner. While this is not sufficient to reverse the decision of the Council of Ministers, it does pave the way for other countries, many of which were pressured into an affirmative vote, to do the same. Now is the time for citizens of the EU to put pressure on their national governments to follow the Dutch lead."

Comments

Never trust the Dutch

[strictnein]

First of all, they try to hide their true place of origin by calling themselves "Dutch" when they're from Holland. Second, all they seem to export are wood shoes (sabotage anyone?) and DJs that cause kids to take drugs. Evil Hollanders!

Re:Never trust the Dutch

[sexyrexy]

Van Buuren is a cool guy. The electronic scene is no more pro-drug than the rock scene, and has much better music :-P

Re:Never trust the Dutch

[strictnein]

Van Buuren is a cool guy. The electronic scene is no more pro-drug than the rock scene, and has much better music

I know. I'm a big Armin Van Buuren fan. Unfortunately I missed him last time he was in town. I just caught Tiesto live last week and it was pretty damn good. Best thing about the electronic scene is that tickets to the shows are so much less expensive (at least by me - 5 hours of music for $20 to see Tiesto and two top-notch local DJs)

In holland

[Anonymous Coward]

They think about their breathing, in soviet russia, their breathing thinks about them!!

A Union of Peers?

[FatSean]

While the Euro is beating the Dollar, I get the feeling the EU is going to fragment in the near future...

they gave me the double double double double

[Anonymous Custard]

"The parlimentary euro-sino-russo-dutch governing governmental body of powers recently tomorrow didn't not non-approve what wasn't not being reverse voted in favor of affirmatively being anti-against banning patent restrictions."

Crazy euro-speak... can someone please translate what happened into english?

Annoyed by the soccer results?

[Anonymous Coward]

I hadn't expected the Dutch to be that annoyed just because they lost their match against Portugal in the European Soccer Championship on Wednesday...

Re:In other news...

[Anonymous Coward]

That comment getting modded funny in 2004 is equal to "I have more than 640k memory in my computer" getting modded funny in 1981.

HA HA HA HA HA...

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't get it.

Re:Double negative

[Hakubi_Washu]

Just add a comma, then it makes sense again :-)
>...efforts_,_ to keep software patents...

Re:From the /. posting you'd never know...

[geoffspear]

If you want your news source to tell you what to think about a story, watch Fox News. Some of us prefer the facts without having an editorial opinion attached to the story.

Re:holy triple negatives batman

[Anonymous Coward]

Can I patent the:

ENABLE tick box to DISABLE feature.

Or does M$ have Prior art?

Re:Dirty.

[Anonymous Coward]

What purpose would this have served? Gore didn't lose by one electoral vote - he lost by five (271 to 266). And who should get to vote in this second special election of yours? Just Floridians? And you do realize that a second vote would not have been an accurate reflection of the first vote. A lot more democrats would have voted the second time around that hadn't voted the first time around.

Re:Dirty.

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe all of those people that were incorrectly listed as ex-felons, and therefore disenfranchised.

Re:I love the Dutch!

[BerntB]

The Netherlands never ceases to impress me

It's Friday. Do they have any good beer?

I'll be out drinking with a potential girl friend today.

(-: Skip the "I don't believe you're a geek" jokes, plz. My creds are fine -- Perl, Emacs, C[++] and I've even installed Debian multiple times. :-)

Re:holy triple negatives batman

[Vexler]

Actually, in the Greek language a double negative is not a sign of incorrect grammar or even "street Greek": It turns the statement into an emphatic negative.

Re:I love the Dutch!

[Anonymous Coward]

Stoner.

The use of butchers in international politics

[Anonymous Coward]

Iessen an Drénken hält bekanntlech Leif a Séil zesummen... a wann de Jean-Claude Juncker an deem heite Fall éischter fir dat Geeschtecht zoustänneg ass, da steet säi Regierungskolleg Henri Grethen méi fir dat Kulinarescht.

An op deem Punkt vum Henri Grethen senger Perséinlechkeet, huet en Dënschdeg den éisträichesche Finanzminister Grasser ugespillt. Deen Daach war näämlech an der éisträichescher Ambassade eng Receptioun zu Éiren vum DP-Politiker, dee wéinst senge Verdéngschter em d'Relatiounen tëscht Lëtzebuerg an der Alperepublik déi wichtegst éisträichesch Médaille krut.

A mir kënnen eis den Henri Grethen och gutt zu Wien virstellen, dee bekanntlech do um renomméierten Opernball war. Normalerweis preferéiert den Här Grethen zwar méi d'Haute Cuisine Française, mee déi éisträichesch Spezialitéiten dierften him awer och gutt schmaachen.... d'Palette ass jo grouss a geet vu Kaiserschmarrn, Tafelspitz, Palatschinken, Käsekreiner an Nockerl bis bei Sachertorte mit Schlag, iwwert eng Wiener Mélange bis bei den Obstler.

A propos lëtzebuergesch-éisträichesch Relatiounen... als Metzleschjong kann de Minister senge Wiener Frënn bestëmmt lëtzebuerger Spezialitéite wei Éisleker Ham, Gelli, Paté a Lyoner recommandéieren.

Re:Its a dangerous precedent

[mmclar]

After the vote it came to light the minister had lied (explained as "an error in the word processor" by his State Secretary)

Was this word processor Microsoft Word, by any chance?