[Patents] EUROPEAN BOARD VOTES TO ALLOW SOFTWARE PATENTS

[Jesus M. Gonzalez-Barahona jgb@gsyc.escet.urjc.es]

      Can somebody tell us the list of countries for and against
software patents in thar vote? (I'm specifically interested in Spain,
where we are doing some lobbying, and Portugal, where perhaps we can
start soon).

      Can somebody outline the process from now on? How will the final
decission be taken in November? (I mean, who will vote). Is there any
way of blocking that decission, or of forcing its delay, before the
mentioned conference?

      Saludos,

           Jesus.

PS: I guess that a story about how countries like Monaco are
determining the European policy on innovation and new technologies
could be very interesting for a journalist. Specially on the context
of "democratic decission processes in European Institutions".

PPS: I got freesw out of the headers, since this could be a bit
off-topic there.

Bernard Lang writes:
 > 
 > NewsScan Daily, 13 September 2000 ("Above The Fold")
 > 
 > 
 > EUROPEAN BOARD VOTES TO ALLOW SOFTWARE PATENTS
 > An administrative board for the European Patents Office has voted 10-9 to 
 > allow patents for software in Europe, with a final decision coming in 
 > November at a conference of the all the countries represented by the 
 > Office. Software patents are available in the U.S. and Japan, and 
 > multinational companies have been arguing for unlimited patenting as part 
 > of a uniform global legal framework. Critics, however, fear that large 
 > companies will use the patenting process as a tool to squelch innovative 
 > technologies that threaten their standard products. Among the dissenting 
 > countries were Germany, the U.K. and France. The head of the German 
 > delegation expressed his reservations over the change: "We would have 
 > problems with the U.S. tendency to patent everything that can be patented. 
 > That would stifle innovation and cause a glut of litigation." (Wall Street 
 > Journal 13 Sep 2000)
 > http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB968792884357682385.htm
 > 
 > 
 > ----
 > 
 > If someone has a (preferably electronic) copy of the original article,
 > it would be welcome.
 > 
 > BTW, I am told that among the voters in favor of software patenting
 > are major industrial countries such as Lichtenstein and Monaco, who
 > did make the difference ... one wonders about the motivations ...
 > 
 > I do not know the exact list of voters, but it appears clearly that
 > more work is needed in some countries to inform the political powers
 > concerning these issues.  But note that the votes of the 3 countries
 > above, unhoped for not so long ago, show that we can lobby effectively
 > on these issues.
 > 
 > Bernard Lang
 > 
 > -- 
 >          Non aux Brevets Logiciels  -  No to Software Patents
 >            SIGNEZ    http://petition.eurolinux.org/    SIGN
 > 
 > Bernard.Lang@inria.fr             ,_  /\o    \o/    Tel  +33 1 3963 5644
 > http://pauillac.inria.fr/~lang/  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  Fax  +33 1 3963 5469
 >             INRIA / B.P. 105 / 78153 Le Chesnay CEDEX / France
 >          Je n'exprime que mon opinion - I express only my opinion
 >                  CAGED BEHIND WINDOWS or FREE WITH LINUX
 > 
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-- 
Jesus M. Gonzalez Barahona                | Grupo de Sistemas y Comunicaciones
jgb@gsyc.escet.urjc.es / jgb@computer.org | ESCET, Universidad Rey Juan 
Carlos 
tel: +34 91 664 74 67                     | c/ Tulipan s/n
fax: +34 91 664 74 90                     | 28933 Mostoles, Spain