[Patents] Re: FT Germany article

[Edward Avis epa98@doc.ic.ac.uk]

>From: Stefane Fermigier <sf@fermigier.com>

>Subject: [Patents] German speaker wanted.

>I've just found this article the Financial Times Deutschland:
>
>http://www.ftd.de/tm/te/FTD962824480673.html?nv=3Dhptn
>
>``EU-Kommission entscheidet sich gegen Software-Patente''

I'm not a native German speaker but as far as I can tell this is just
the standard Commission line, that patentability is not being extended.

>Aus Kommissionskreisen erfuhr die Financial Times Deutschland, dass
>man nur Bedarf f=FCr eine rechtliche Klarstellung sieht, nicht aber f=FCr
>eine =C4nderung des bisherigen Verfahrens.

(hope those characters come out all right)

'The FT Germany learnt from the Commission that clarification of the
existing rules was needed, but not a change in the previous policy.'

It goes on to say that software patents can only be granted if the
software forms 'part of a technical system', and that the EPO has
already granted about 20 000 software patents under this rule.  Of
course any software patent can be phrased in such a manner.

--=20
Ed Avis
epa98@doc.ic.ac.uk