Re: Negotiating for using Royalty Free patents

[jamie <jamiemcc blueyonder co uk>]

On Mon, 2004-04-12 at 11:33, Rui Miguel Seabra wrote:
> On Mon, 2004-04-12 at 11:18 +0100, jamie wrote:
> > On Mon, 2004-04-12 at 09:59, Rui Miguel Seabra wrote:
> > > BTW, I see few gnome related sites closed down in protest against
> > > software patentes
> > > 
> > > http://demo.ffii.org/inserturl.php
> > > 
> > > and there's no news about gnome officially doing something, even though
> > > it was asked in the foundation list
> > > http://mail.gnome.org/archives/foundation-list/2004-April/msg00000.html
> > 
> > The European patents thing is mostly FUD put out by FFII. Patenting of
> > pure software methods and business methods are not on the agenda (the
> > MEPs have made it abundantly clear that they wont allow this ever). The
> > only thing that anyone is proposing is allowing software patents in
> > embedded devices like the firmware in telecommunication equipment.
> > Whilst I would prefer a blanket ban on all software patents, these
> > proposals are more or less harmless.
> 
> This is a little OT but this is an extremely ill informed statement, so
> I'll just correct it quickly and then shut up.
> 
> This is no FUD but the FFII. The European Parliament, with the
> assistance and advocacy of many participants mostly coordinated by the
> FFII, ammended the European Commission's proposal which would allow
> software patents into clear limits on patentability.
> 
> The Council of Ministers of the EU member-states is now pushing for
> unlimited patentability with unlimited enforcement, dropping all MEP
> approved ammendments and pushing even further than what the European
> Commision wanted.

So in other words they are trying to bypass the democratic process? What
scum! I cant believe my government would ever vote for that - its too
outrageous for words alone and its sheer desperation from the pro-patent
camp which must surely fail. The good news is it must be their last roll
of the dice for software patents in the EU. (we should boycott Nokia too
as they're the ones promoting the pro-patent position)

> 
> The EU ammended directive proposal allows patentable inventions that use
> software, but the invention must not be the software and made clear
> definitions of what is patentable.

Thats what I understood and I believe in the end thats what we will get
as the democratically elected members voted for that.

> 
> Please help fight this cancer and don't fall prey to CEC/Council
> misleading statements. They _want_ software patents. They _dropped_ all
> clarifying ammendments. They _dropped_ interoperability.
> 
> FFII is trying to stop this.
I understand now - sorry for the FUD tag (and OT).

jamie

> 
> Rui