Demonstration against software patents

By EDRi · August 27, 2003

Today, both online and off-line demonstrations were organised in a final
attempt to change a proposed EU-directive on software patents. The
European Parliament will vote on the proposal in the plenary session on 1
September. The demonstrations were organised by FFII. In an open letter to
the members of parliament, FFII points out that the proposal ‘would make
calculation rules and business methods such as Amazon One Click Shopping
patentable, as in the USA.’ Moreover, FFII fears that the 30.000 patents
on software that have already been granted by the European Patent Office
‘against the letter and spirit of the current law’, would become
enforceable in Europe, making it impossible for national courts to
continue to revoke these patents.

Resistance against the proposal was also strongly voiced by a group of 10
leading European economists. According to them, the exploitation of
extensive portfolios of software patents ‘will have serious detrimental
effects on European innovation, growth, and competitiveness.’

FFII open letter to members of parliament (27.08.2003)
http://swpat.ffii.org/letters/meps038/index.en.html

Open letter economists (25.08.2003)
http://www.researchineurope.org/policy/patentdirltr.pdf