Slashdot Mirror
EU Software Patent War Ignites Again
pieterh writes "ZDNet UK has a detailed article on the heating-up of the software patent debate in Europe. A new motion before the European Parliament calls for a harmonised patent court (EPLA) that would be able to enforce software patents across Europe. This comes just 15 months after the EP rejected the infamous Computer Implemented Inventions directive." From the article: "Patents on software are formally disallowed under the European patent system, but are routinely granted by the European patent office, according to critics. They are currently difficult to enforce in many EU member states, something critics say would be changed by the failed software patent directive, and now by the EPLA. Software patents are generally considered to add to the legal costs of large enterprises, as well as creating a hostile legal environment for smaller software businesses and open source projects."
Yeah I hate it when the law goes all dynamic on me too. Phooey on change.
"The mission statement of the copyright act under which I grew up:"
Shhh! Don't anyone tell him the stories about patents, not copyright.
"I can't for the life of me figure out what makes people hate software patents more than other types of patents..."
You're in a maze of twisted geeks. All alike. You've been beaten by a bad argument.
Seriously, one of the arguments is that software patents shouldn't exist, period. While physical patents should. Although why the ethereal should get short shift, while the physical gets attention is a bit beyound me. The other is that geeks see software as their symbol of hope, much like inner city kids see sports as their symbol of hope. A way out that software patents threaten.
BTW Remember Stac Electronics or Go Computers? Now you all see why there are patents.