A proposal for a software patent directive, due to be submitted
to the European Parliament for plenary debate and subsequent
decision yesterday, has been delayed for the second time. The
controversial proposal will now come before the Parliament on 22nd
September.
The draft directive proposes rules for what the EU calls the
"patentability of computer-implemented inventions." These are
described as devices like mobile phones, intelligent household
appliances, engine control devices, machine tools and computer
program related inventions.
The wording has been carefully chosen to try to alleviate
concerns that the legislation will introduce US-style software
patents into Europe – but appears to have failed in this aim.
Only last week, in the run up to the expected debate on Monday,
protests were organised, resulting in a demonstration last
Wednesday outside the Parliament building in Brussels and an
on-line protest. Four hundred demonstrators and the operators of
hundreds of web sites voiced their objections in person and
on-line.
No official reason has yet been given for this second delay -
the Parliamentary debate was originally due to take place in June -
although a source at the Parliament told legalmediagroup.com that
"The reason is to give political parties more time to find an
agreement on the final wording of the draft".
