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[DMCA-Activists] Thanks to EU Parliament for Standing Against Software P
From: |
Seth Johnson |
Subject: |
[DMCA-Activists] Thanks to EU Parliament for Standing Against Software Patents |
Date: |
Tue, 30 Sep 2003 13:11:04 -0000 |
(Forwarded from Patents list. Text of page pasted below [sans
internal links]. -- Seth)
-----Original Message-----
From: Hartmut Pilch <address@hidden>
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 18:08:54 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: [Patents] Petition Initiators Thank the European Parliament
[...]
Permanent URL of this Press Release
http://swpat.ffii.org/news/03/epet0929/index.en.html
----
Petition Initiators Thank the European Parliament
Brussels 2003/09/29
For immediate Release
Last Wednesday the Parliament voted against software patents and for
freedom of publication, freedom of interoperation and other basic
values of the information society, thereby reversing the thrust of a
directive proposal from the European Commission, so as to basically
satisfy the demands of a quarter million signatories of the "Eurolinux
Petition for a Software Patent Free Europe" and 30 eminent computer
scientists. The initiators of both petitions will speak before the
European Parliament's Petition Committee on tuesday 18.00 to express
their thanks and explore with MEPs what still needs to be done.
Details
Media Contacts
About the FFII -- www.ffii.org
About the Eurolinux Alliance -- www.eurolinux.org
Permanent URL of this Press Release
Annotated Links
Details
The Petition for a Software Patent Free Europe and the Scientists'
Petition are being presented on Tue 30 Sept 2003 at 6 pm in the
Petition Committee in the European Parliament Room A3G2, Spinelli
Building (ASP) at Brussels by Bernard Lang and Philippe Aigrain.
On 10 Nov, software patents are possibly on the agenda for a meeting
of governmental patent experts from EU member states in the European
Council. The software patent owner lobby and EU Internal Market
Commissioner Frits Bolkestein are now counting on the Council,
whose "patent policy working party" has proven in the past to be very
responsive to patent owner wishes. Bolkestein and his supporters have
predicted that the Council will withdraw the directive or, if that
fails, give in to anticipated US pressure. The day before the vote
Bolkestein warned MEPs that they would ruin their chances of
democratic participation if they voted as they did last wednesday. The
US and UK governments sent warnings of similar content to MEPs earlier
this month.
In this atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and distrust (FUD) launched
against the European Parliament, both Mr Aigrain and Mr Lang are
expected to strenghten the position of the Parliament in European
legislation.
For attending the meeting, please send mail to Benjamin Henrion.
Media Contacts
mail:
media at ffii org
phone:
FFII Munich (German, English and French): 0049/89/18979927
Benjamin Henrion (French and English): 0032/498/292771 or
0032/10/454779
Jonas Maebe (Dutch and English): +32-485-36-96-45
Dieter Van Uytvanck (Dutch and English): +32-499-16-70-10
Erik Josefsson (Swedish and English): +46-707-696567
Alex Macfie (English): +44 7901 751753
Joaquim Carvalho (Portugues and English): +35-1-93-6169633
More Contacts to be supplied upon request
About the FFII -- www.ffii.org
The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) is a non-
profit association registered in Munich, which is dedicated to the
spread of data processing literacy. FFII supports the development of
public information goods based on copyright, free competition, open
standards. More than 300 members, 500 companies and 40,000 supporters
have entrusted the FFII to act as their voice in public policy
questions in the area of exclusion rights (intellectual property) in
data processing.
About the Eurolinux Alliance -- 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 copyright, open standards, open competition and open source
software such as Linux. Corporate members or sponsors of EuroLinux
develop or sell software under free, semi-free and non-free licenses
for operating systems such as GNU/Linux, MacOS or MS Windows.
Permanent URL of this Press Release
http://swpat.ffii.org/news/03/epet0929/index.en.html
Annotated Links
Bolkestein's warning to MEPs
Similar statements were uttered previously by Arlene McCarthy and
later by several patent attorneys, some in names of organisations.
see Reactions to EP Vote
EU Parliament Votes for Real Limits on Patentability
In its plenary vote on the 24th of September, the European Parliament
approved the proposed directive on "patentability of computer-
implemented inventions" with amendments that clearly restate the non-
patentability of programming and business logic, and uphold freedom of
publication and interoperation.
Vote in 8 days: 2000 IT bosses ask European Parliament to say NO to
software patents
A "Petition for a Free Europe without Software Patents" has gained
more than 150000 signatures. Among the supporters are more than 2000
company owners and chief executives and 25000 developpers and
engineers from all sectors of the European information and
telecommunication industries, as well as more than 2000 scientists and
180 lawyers. Companies like Siemens, IBM, Alcatel and Nokia lead the
list of those whose researchers and developpers want to protect
programming freedom and copyright property against what they see as
a "patent landgrab". Currently the patent policy of many of these
companies is still dominated by their patent departments. These have
intensively lobbied the European Parliament to support a proposal to
allow patentability of "computer-implemented inventions" (recent
patent newspeak term which usually refers to software in the context
of patent claims, i.e. algorithms and business methods framed in terms
of generic computing equipment), which the rapporteur, UK Labour MEP
Arlene McCarthy, backed by "patent experts" from the socialist and
conservative blocks, is trying to rush through the European Parliament
on June 30, just 13 days after she had won the vote in the Legal
Affairs Committe (JURI).
30 Scientists 2003/05: Petition against Software Patent Directive
30 famous computer scientists sharply criticise the European
Commission's proposal to legalise software patents in Europe.
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