In Brussels at "the genuine paneuropean IP summit" (what, no trademark? C'mon, you can do better!), a few large US companies and their lawyers have called for the reform, extension, upward harmonization and so forth of the EU's patent system.
With civil society safely excluded by attendance fees of EUR 1.500 (bring two IPdroids, get the third one gratis), Microsoft's Marshall Phelps faced no opposition in airing his grievances about how difficult it is to get a patent in Europe, and a software patent in particular. He also criticised efforts to "simply open the doors and give everything away gratis". I have no idea what he means by that - it certainly couldn't be the Commissions antitrust case, since no one demands that Microsoft should give any of their source code away.
[I was going to elaborate on his argument, when it occurred to me that a logical process into which nonsense is fed will not yield wisdom as a result.]
Everybody and their brother then apparently proceeded to warn that Europe was falling further behind the US in the number of patents. The trick, you see, is that the pure number of patents granted is no good as an indicator of how innovative a region is. But presenting simple numbers convinces simple minds.
EU internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy then soothed the audience by promising that he would do his best to get rid of this terrible injustice and most repulsive immorality.
So nothing new, really. But those firms afraid of free competition are stepping up their efforts for more far-reaching monopolies again. Looks like software patent season is nigh once more.
via heise.de
