From: petition@eurolinux.org
To: lwn@lwn.net
Subject: Software Patent Decision Postponed in Europe
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 15:21:49 +0100 (CET)

   Software Patent Decision Postponed in Europe
   
   European Governments Wait for a Democratic Debate
   
   EuroLinux Alliance <petition.eurolinux.org>

                           For immediate Release
   
   Bruxelles, Copenhagen, London, Madrid, Munich, Paris. 2000-11-22. With
   the exception of Austria, Lichtenstein and Switzerland, all European
   countries voted in Munich yesterday against an extension of the patent
   system to software. The exception on computer programs will be
   maintained in the European Patent Convention after its revision. This
   move is a clear victory for democracy, since it allows the European
   Commission to proceed with its public consultation on software
   patents, together with the European Parliament. National governments
   in Europe which are currently reviewing in detail the pros and the
   cons of an extension of the patent system to software, will also be
   able to participate in the debate.
   
   Nicolas Pettiaux, belgian representative for the EuroLinux Alliance of
   software publishers and non profit organisations, warns however that
   "yesterday's vote should not be interpreted as a vote against software
   patents, but rather as a vote to postpone any decision on this matter
   until the consultation launched by the European Commission is closed".
   But, according to Stéfane Fermigier of AFUL, member of EuroLinux: "the
   General Directorate for Internal Market at the European Commission,
   which is in charge of the consultation, has approached the software
   patent issue with an ideological point of view. Both their
   interpretation of the Law and their call for the consultation are
   obviously biased in favour of software patents. Furthermore, until
   very recently, they paid no attention to the economic effects and to
   other side effects of software patents, as they should have according
   to the Rome and Amsterdam Treaties. We are still very far from a
   decision to ban software patents in Europe."
   
   Future EuroLinux actions will be targeted at convincing the European
   Commission to take a balanced approach on software patents. As the
   FFII/EuroLinux Software Patent Horror Gallery shows, the European
   Patent Office is already abusively granting many patents on pure
   software methods. Such kind of patents are then cancelled by national
   courts in case of dispute. A clarification is still needed in Europe,
   either in favour or against software patents. EuroLinux considers that
   software patents should clearly be banned in Europe because they harm
   innovation and that software should be protected through copyright.
   
References

   European Patent Office - 
   http://www.european-patent-office.org

   Software Patent Horror Gallery -
   http://petition.eurolinux.org/examples

   Statements for a Software Patent Free Europe -
   http://petition.eurolinux.org/statements

   The EuroLinux Public Consultation -
   http://petition.eurolinux.org/consultation

   The EuroLinux Petition for a Software Patent Free Europe -
   http://petition.eurolinux.org

   The EuroLinux File on Software Patents -
   http://petition.eurolinux.org/reference
   
About EuroLinux - www.eurolinux.org

   The EuroLinux Alliance for a Free Information Infrastructure is an
   open coalition of commercial companies and non-profit associations
   united to promote and protect a vigourous European Software Culture
   based on Open Standards, Open Competition, Linux and Open Source
   Software. Companies members or supporters of EuroLinux develop or sell
   software under free, semi-free and non-free licenses for operating
   systems such as Linux, MacOS or Windows.
   
   The EuroLinux Alliance launched on 2000-06-15 an electronic petition
   to protect software innovation in Europe. The EuroLinux petition has
   received so far massive support from more than 50.000 European
   citizens, 2000 corporate managers and 200 companies.
   
   The EuroLinux Alliance has co-organised in 1999, together with the
   French Embassy in Japan, the first Europe-Japan conference on Linux
   and Free Software. The EuroLinux Alliance is at the initiative of the
   www.freepatents.org Web site to promote and protect innovation and
   competition in the European IT industry.
   
   Press Contacts
   
   Germany & Europe: Harmut Pilch <phm@ffii.org> +49-89 127 89 608
   France & Europe: Stéfane Fermigier <sf@fermigier.com> +33-6 63 04 12 77
   Denmark and Northern Europe: Anne Østergaard <aoe@sslug.dk>
   Belgium: Nicolas Pettiaux <nicolas.pettiaux@linuxbe.org>
   
   Permanent URL for this PR
   
   http://petition.eurolinux.org/pr/pr8.html
   http://petition.eurolinux.org/pr/pr8.pdf
  
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