Typo should read :
And as much as I oppose a Federal Union, because, essentially I suspect that Italians and French and Swedes and are as likely to corrupt EU institutions for their own sake as are the Irish (which is bad news for small powerless countries like mine)....
Ministers from elected governments, deciding on Europe wide issues to me, seems like a bunch of city and county councillors, deciding on foreign policy.
It seems broken and counter intuitive for a start.
Secondly, while I am a Eurosceptic, it's exactly *because* of entities like the Council.
For deciding things that effect Europe as a whole, the representatives who decide on that should *each* be accountable to Europe as a whole
What you get with the current structure, is for example the Irish Agriculture Minister, who is in no way accountable to the rest of Europe's citizens, lobbying an Agriculture meeting to accept software patents. That's wrong, that's unaccountable and I oppose such a structure.
Disclaimer: I'm Irish, but, I realise that due to decades of poverty in Ireland, my government is determined to be "business friendly" and thus backs the percieved "business fiendliness" of patents. And as much as I oppose a Federal Union, because, essentially I suspect that Italians and French and Swedes and are as likely to corrupt EU institutions for the sake if (which is bad news for small powerless countries like mine).... it's pretty clear to me, that the supreme power, for EU governance *should* be the parliment. Let us debate what the parliment can control, in a Europe of nations..... but... for god sake... it's obvious that mincing words about democracy in the Union, ultimately undermines ordinary European citizens.
Of course I accept that the patent lobby won't just go away.
However, I highly suspect that when it comes before judges to make judgements on "what was meant by this law", that courts will keep the spirit of the directive, as it was intended.
Even if, this directive doesn't come to pass, the draft legislation is a major victory, for the little guy in Europe and in *my* view, brings power back to people, where, it was looking suspiciously like the EU was going to be nothing more then a *very big* version of big government and business interests sh*tting on the little guy.
Don't get me wrong, the EU undoubtedly has elements like that at work... but, for now, like most *new* governments... the parliment is idealistic.
Sure *some day* it'll be different, but, for now.. the EP is actually in my view doing it's job, for the little guy.. as opposed to doing the job for corporations and *telling* the little guy, he's just be done a favour !
The European Parliement (elected by Europeans to function with EU level competence).
Has effectively given the bird, to the blatantly pro-Patent the undeomcratic (European Council, various heads of state waffeling about crap).
The EP, emasculated the original Patent draft, only to have the Council, make an ever *more* pro Patent document.. bang it's chest and say to the Parliment "Go on... change the text if you have the balls".
Turns out the Parliment did have the balls to change the text.
Better still, this directive would *eliminate* patenting pure software... so, to the earlier poster who questioned "jpeg" the answer is no... under this proposal, patenting jpeg is out, patenting mp3 is out, patenting the double click, one click shopping or XML is similarly out.
Patenting a software controlled system that influences the physical world, like an alram panel, or a mechanism to open/close a garage door with software somehow *is* allowed.
Personally, I welcome our new Democratically elected, Representative, Neo Natal Federalist government.
But I'm not paying any taxes !!!
Slashdot Mirror
I smell a Redmond paycheck.
Typo should read : And as much as I oppose a Federal Union, because, essentially I suspect that Italians and French and Swedes and are as likely to corrupt EU institutions for their own sake as are the Irish (which is bad news for small powerless countries like mine)....
Ministers from elected governments, deciding on Europe wide issues to me, seems like a bunch of city and county councillors, deciding on foreign policy.
/rant
It seems broken and counter intuitive for a start.
Secondly, while I am a Eurosceptic, it's exactly *because* of entities like the Council.
For deciding things that effect Europe as a whole, the representatives who decide on that should *each* be accountable to Europe as a whole
What you get with the current structure, is for example the Irish Agriculture Minister, who is in no way accountable to the rest of Europe's citizens, lobbying an Agriculture meeting to accept software patents. That's wrong, that's unaccountable and I oppose such a structure.
Disclaimer: I'm Irish, but, I realise that due to decades of poverty in Ireland, my government is determined to be "business friendly" and thus backs the percieved "business fiendliness" of patents. And as much as I oppose a Federal Union, because, essentially I suspect that Italians and French and Swedes and are as likely to corrupt EU institutions for the sake if (which is bad news for small powerless countries like mine).... it's pretty clear to me, that the supreme power, for EU governance *should* be the parliment. Let us debate what the parliment can control, in a Europe of nations..... but... for god sake... it's obvious that mincing words about democracy in the Union, ultimately undermines ordinary European citizens.
Of course I accept that the patent lobby won't just go away.
However, I highly suspect that when it comes before judges to make judgements on "what was meant by this law", that courts will keep the spirit of the directive, as it was intended.
Even if, this directive doesn't come to pass, the draft legislation is a major victory, for the little guy in Europe and in *my* view, brings power back to people, where, it was looking suspiciously like the EU was going to be nothing more then a *very big* version of big government and business interests sh*tting on the little guy.
Don't get me wrong, the EU undoubtedly has elements like that at work... but, for now, like most *new* governments... the parliment is idealistic.
Sure *some day* it'll be different, but, for now.. the EP is actually in my view doing it's job, for the little guy.. as opposed to doing the job for corporations and
*telling* the little guy, he's just be done a favour !
The European Parliement (elected by Europeans to function with EU level competence). Has effectively given the bird, to the blatantly pro-Patent the undeomcratic (European Council, various heads of state waffeling about crap). The EP, emasculated the original Patent draft, only to have the Council, make an ever *more* pro Patent document.. bang it's chest and say to the Parliment "Go on... change the text if you have the balls". Turns out the Parliment did have the balls to change the text. Better still, this directive would *eliminate* patenting pure software... so, to the earlier poster who questioned "jpeg" the answer is no... under this proposal, patenting jpeg is out, patenting mp3 is out, patenting the double click, one click shopping or XML is similarly out. Patenting a software controlled system that influences the physical world, like an alram panel, or a mechanism to open/close a garage door with software somehow *is* allowed. Personally, I welcome our new Democratically elected, Representative, Neo Natal Federalist government. But I'm not paying any taxes !!!