Issue #0523/3 - European patents safe as the EU parliament rejects proposals to harmonise patent laws across Europe.
IT industry players have been expressing delight at the rejection of the software patent proposals by the European parliament recently (see TCPglobal Issue #0521 - "European parliament waters down patenting proposals").
Reports in the press quote IT sources as describing the decision as ‘clear and positive’ for the IT industry because it allows companies to continue to enjoy strict protection on copyright issues.
In attempting to harmonise patent laws across the entire extended EU, the proposals had been seen as moving towards the patent situation in the US, which is criticised as playing into the hands of large corporations with the financial power to bully smaller players when it comes to arguing over relatively minor issues in the courts.
This decision ensures that European companies can continue to invest in research and development without the fear that their efforts and financial commitment will be exploited by others.
For the law to remain unchanged is seen as crucial to overall European competitiveness in the world market.
Although the proposals and ruling refer to software products, there would have been implications on the printer industry because it would also have affected the software required to drive a printer and offer associated functionality and usability tools.
~End~
