EU Patents Won't Stay Dead 410
sconeu writes "Apparently the EC is ignoring the restart directive, and has placed software patents as an A-Item on the Council of Minister's agenda with an aim for approval on Monday." From the article: "The directive is pitched as offering greater protection for software developers. Opponents, including many in the European parliament, fear it will simply provide big players, including America's powerful and litigious software giants, with a very large stick to batter upstart developers and the Open Source movement." Update: 03/04 22:04 GMT by Z : And just as quick as you please Denmark stops things in their tracks. Denmark's objection means that there will have to be further debate before the patents get the stamp.
US influence peddling goes world-wide (Score:5, Interesting)
If it is going back to parliment anyway... (Score:2, Interesting)
Creativity stifling... (Score:1, Interesting)
At least in Europe
I don't understand (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:If it is going back to parliment anyway... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:I don't understand (Score:0, Interesting)
Ultimately the same mindset that is representative of their heritage.
How many EU countries still have monarchs? How many more EU countries right up until approximately 200 years ago had autocratic monarchies? They have been bred for 1000 years to let other people tell them what is good for them or not. It's going to take a while for the "people" to adjust their culture.
EU Questions... (Score:4, Interesting)
Actually, they are as good as dead (Score:5, Interesting)
The parliament of the Netherlands have giving their representative orders to support any demands for new negotiations.
Finally, the German representative would face sever pressure (he'd probably have to resign) should he ignore the German parliants demands for new negotiations.
As for many of the "new" EU members, they will probably not support a decision that might severly restrict their fledgeling IT economy - no matter how much Microsoft and the other "big players" try to lobby.
So, all in all, its as good as dead - at least for now.
Re:US influence peddling goes world-wide (Score:4, Interesting)
In particular, the measure has been repeatedly voted against by the European Parliament, which is comprised of elected representatives from every region of every European country. It has been voted against by the Council of Ministers, which is comprised of important members of the Government of each member state. But with the bizzare way in which the EU works, the wishes of both the people and of the member governments can be overridden by unelected beaurocrats, some of whom were appointed years ago by politicians who are no longer in power.
Take the high ground immediately. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Well, no shit. (Score:2, Interesting)
The people pushing patents believe in their black, black hearts that this is ethical. That Intellectual Property is just that. I've been in a patent discussion with our lawyers and it's amazing that they actually believe the IP argument. They just don't understand how software works, they like thinking of it as a CD or a web page, since those are concepts that they understand.
My mail to the EC (Score:3, Interesting)
I do not want my country ruled by a cabal of easily bought unelected scum in Brussels, and, given the way things are going, I think there are many current EU members, such as the UK and Denmark that are wondering how they can get out of it as fast as possible.
documentation pro patents? (Score:3, Interesting)
Has there ever been some study or likewise that support patents, in the sense that they show an increase in innovation in areas that are patent regulated?
Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Well, no shit. (Score:3, Interesting)
The requirements of fiduciary responsibility are usually negative, not positive. You can't do something that's clearly BAD for the company (remember the flap about the network whose manaagement wanted to run an anti-Kerry show? He backed down because it was clearly not in the best fiduciary interest of the company.) However, as for taking a particular positive action (should we develop X or Y? Should we lobby the EU for software patents?), there is no consequence as a breach of "fiduciary responsibility" for taking one action or another. You might get fired for incompetence, but not sued.
Clearly greed is a human motivation, and serves a purpose - medieval scholars wrote "Blessed is the inclination to evil, without which a man would not plant a vineyard, take a wife, or establish a house." But we all know it can be destructive to society as a whole when applied on a huge scale.
Fiduciary responsibility does not, in a practical sense, mandate immoral behavior. Dressing it up as some sort of moral obligation is the worst sort of cynicism. It's a call to inaction - "These huge powerful companies HAVE to act this way - no sense in trying to make it turn out any differently." What a bleak world that would be to live in.
Re:I don't understand (Score:3, Interesting)
For the first time ever, Microsoft has real competition and two of the main players are based in Europe, e.g. SuSE and Mandrake. I fully expected Microsoft et al to pressure the EU but didn't expect Europe to basically decapitate the very industry that could have made it a real force to be reckoned with.
A couple of years ago, there was an EU purge on corruption within the commission itself and a minister was appointed to ensure that it did not recur. Sadly, either the bastards asleep or has other reasons for not acting.
I used to be all for Europe but UKIP now looks like an attractive option as the old corrupt gravy train image seems just as real now as it did 10 years ago.
As for Arlene McCarty, if only reward was based on integrity she'd be f*****g penniless
Can the EU Commisson be ousted? (Score:2, Interesting)
Question.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Because if there is one thing parliaments _really_ hate, it is that kind of thing...
Re:documentation pro patents? (Score:3, Interesting)
It would be impossible to do such a study, because there's no available control group.
I can recall in the 80's that Taiwan was producing Apple II clones that weren't legal in the US but proliferated in Southeast Asia. I wonder if the semiconductor industry in Taiwan is now more developed and influential than it was back then because of profits gained from ignoring intellectual property restrictions and manufacturing computer clones. Economies with overly restrictive patent laws may end up crippling themselves while those that ignore them become more dominant.
The harder they pushed it, the more they broke it. (Score:2, Interesting)
Commissioner McGreevy had effectively lost when the EU parliament voted for the restart with a very large majority. Sure, the commission could refuse the restart, and it foolishly did so. The council might even have adapted the directive. But there was no way this would get through a second reading. Denmark saved McGreevy and the rest of the commission from a devastating showdown with the EU parliament. The commission should be grateful.