[Patents] EUROPEAN BOARD VOTES TO ALLOW SOFTWARE PATENTS

[Bernard Lang Bernard.Lang@inria.fr]

I did not get the article from the Wall Street Journal,
but here is another:

Berlin sceptical on moves to introduce software patents to Europe,
Handelsblatt, Dienstag, 12. September 2000.

http://www.handelsblatt.com/hbiwwwangebot/fn/relhbi/sfn/buildhbee/cn/bp_artikel_e/STRUCID/PAGE_201098/PAGEID/PAGE_201098/docid/327254/SH/0/depot/0/index.html

or

http://www.handelsblatt.com/hbiwwwangebot/fn/relhbi/sfn/cn_artikel_drucken_e/docid/327254/SH/0/depot/0/index.html


still looking for the detailed vote ... I am actually surprised that
the minutes of the meeting are not public.  It is our money that pays
these people.

Bernard

On Wed, Sep 13, 2000 at 07:13:22PM +0200, Bernard Lang wrote:
> 
> 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

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