EU Refuses To Free Patent Law

Campaigners hoping to keep software patents out of the European Union were dealt a serious blow on Monday, when the European Parliament's legal affairs committee threw out key amendments to a proposed IT patenting law.

The committee, known as JURI, had been considering a number of amendments to the proposed directive on the patenting of computer-implemented inventions, a controversial plan to codify EU technology patenting practices. Those opposing patents on software—including most small businesses, open-source advocates, and many economists and computer scientists—have long warned that the directive would pave the way for patents on pure software.

Many of the tabled amendments were designed to impose strict limitations that would lock out software patents. A few with symbolic anti-patent value were passed, but JURI MEPs (Members of European Parliament) rejected most of them, and passed some amendments broadening the scope of the directive. The votes were close, with many decided by a single vote.

Read the rest of this eWEEK article: "EU Rejects Changes to Proposed Patent Law"

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in ExtremeTech.