Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

EU Gears Up for Another Patent Fight

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the innovation-or-immitation dept.

DirkFromEurope writes "Heise Online is reporting on the Digital Europe meeting of the Progress & Freedom Foundation in Prague. From the article: 'Proponents for a broadening of industrial property rights in the computer sector have declared a new round in the fight about software patents in the EU opened. "It starts again", announced Günther Schmalz, head of SAP's software department.' Günther also 'expressed hope that his camp will be better prepared this time than during the last struggle. A "bridge position" must be reached, which both sides could live with.'"

2 of 159 comments (clear)

  1. The newspeak is strong with this one... by MadTinfoilHatter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A "bridge position" must be reached, which both sides could live with.'"


    Translation for the European-newspeak-impaired:
    "It's hard to overturn a complete rejection. Because we were afraid of a complete rejection last time, we did a strategic retreat. This time we must get our hoof inside the door, in the guise of a 'mutually satisfying compromise', so that we may then fortify our positions and lobby our way to our goal."

    "Bridge position" my a**. It's more like a bridgehead position.
  2. Too bad! by faragon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As european, I can not understand this Software-Patents-Pandora's-Box redux. Everyone knows that the pro-sw-patent lobby is a deep pocket restless beast, but the previous defeatment should be respected, IMO, as there are no new arguments for a view change.

    I like to recall RMS arguments related to software patents, specialy the one related to the fact that to patent sofware is quite similar to patent concepts and ideas, not implementations, thus preventing innovation. Please note that "new ideas" are usually merely linear combinations of previous concepts. True innovations are *very* rare.