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Difference between revisions of "EU software patents directive"

(Organisations active against software patents: * CEA-PME * UEAPME)
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The '''EU software patents directive''' was a proposal by the [[European Commission]] to allow the patenting of software ideas in the [[European Union]].  The proposal was the subject of intense public debate and lobbying and was eventually rejected by the European Parliament in 2005 by a massive majority.
 
The '''EU software patents directive''' was a proposal by the [[European Commission]] to allow the patenting of software ideas in the [[European Union]].  The proposal was the subject of intense public debate and lobbying and was eventually rejected by the European Parliament in 2005 by a massive majority.
  
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==Timeline==
 
==Timeline==
* The [[European Commission]] published a proposal to introduce legislation which would clearly allow software ideas to be patentable
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* February 2002: The [[European Commission]] published a proposal to introduce legislation which would clearly allow software ideas to be patentable
 
* September 2003: [http://eupat.ffii.org/lisri/03/plen0924/index.en.html EU Parliament Votes for Real Limits on Patentability]
 
* September 2003: [http://eupat.ffii.org/lisri/03/plen0924/index.en.html EU Parliament Votes for Real Limits on Patentability]
* 2004: [[Council of Ministers]] discards the European Parliament's amendments
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* 2004: [[Council of Ministers]] discards the European Parliament's amendments<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20071026105022/http://wiki.ael.be/index.php/Transcription</ref>
 
* June 2005: The [[European Parliament]] rejects the directive outright
 
* June 2005: The [[European Parliament]] rejects the directive outright
  
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* [http://eupat.ffii.org/papers/eubsa-swpat0202/prop/ February 2002 anti-swpat amendments suggestions]
 
* [http://eupat.ffii.org/papers/eubsa-swpat0202/prop/ February 2002 anti-swpat amendments suggestions]
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* [http://swpat.ffii.org/papers/europarl0309/amends05/komprom0506.en.pdf June 2005 anti-swpat amendments suggestions]
  
 
==List of letters written to MEPs==
 
==List of letters written to MEPs==
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* http://www.timj.co.uk/digiculture/patents/timeline.php
 
* http://www.timj.co.uk/digiculture/patents/timeline.php
  
==Related pages on {{SITENAME}}==
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==Who was involved==
* [[EU 2005 proposed amendments]] - by the coalition against software patents
 
* [[Consultation Paper on the Patentability of Computer-Implemented Inventions]], 2000
 
 
 
 
===Organisations active ''against'' software patents===
 
===Organisations active ''against'' software patents===
* [[FFII]] - the main campaign against software patents
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* [[FFII]] - the main campaign against software patents, to whom Europe owes a lot of thanks
 
* [[FSFE]]
 
* [[FSFE]]
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* [[Opera Software]]
 
* [[Red Hat]]
 
* [[Red Hat]]
 
* [[Sun Microsystems]]
 
* [[Sun Microsystems]]
 
* [[CEA-PME]]
 
* [[CEA-PME]]
 
* [[UEAPME]]
 
* [[UEAPME]]
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* eZ systems (they were in 2006<ref>http://share.ez.no/articles/ez-publish/ez-systems-opposes-software-patents</ref> - were they active for the directive?)
  
 
===Organisations active ''for'' software patents===
 
===Organisations active ''for'' software patents===
 
* [[Campaign for Creativity]]
 
* [[Campaign for Creativity]]
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* [[EICTA]]
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* [[Ericsson]]
 
* [[IBM]]
 
* [[IBM]]
 
* [[Microsoft]]
 
* [[Microsoft]]
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* [[Nokia]]
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* [[Philips]]
 
* [[SAP]]
 
* [[SAP]]
* [[Philips]]
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* [[Siemens]]
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* Eurochambres (or at least, some key members)
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* UNICE
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===Organisations yet to be classified===
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* [[Google]] - represented by Mrs. Moll<ref>http://www.investorvillage.com/smbd.asp?mb=1911&mn=12550&pt=msg&mid=891374</ref>
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* [[Novell]] - only expressed itself once, in a completely ambiguous manner
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==Related pages on {{SITENAME}}==
 +
 
 +
* [[EU 2005 proposed amendments]] - by the coalition against software patents
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* [[Consultation Paper on the Patentability of Computer-Implemented Inventions]], 2000
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* [[Software patents exist in Europe, mostly]]
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* [[Corruption and bullying]] - François Mingarance listed as author of EC text
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===Some people involved===
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Hundreds of people were involved, but to keep this list reasonable, these are the ones for whom {{SITENAME}} has articles:
 +
 
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* [[Adam Gierek]]
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* [[Erik Josefsson]]
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* [[Florian Mueller]]
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* [[Ciarán O'Riordan]]
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* [[François Pellegrini]]
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* [[Mark Webbink]]
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
 
* [http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/02/32&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN;&guiLanguage=en A 2002 FAQ published by the European Parliament about the directive]
 
* [http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/02/32&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN;&guiLanguage=en A 2002 FAQ published by the European Parliament about the directive]
 
* [http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Software_patents_directive_1st_reading Political memory - record of who voted how in the 1st reading, September 2003]
 
* [http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Software_patents_directive_1st_reading Political memory - record of who voted how in the 1st reading, September 2003]
* [http://news.cnet.com/2102-1012_3-998547.html?tag=ni_print 31 scientists sign anti-swpat letter] (where's the actual letter??)
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* {{translate fr|url=http://eupat.ffii.org/journal/03/epet0929/aigrain/index.fr.html|title=Letter from 33 scientists against software patents}}
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** Reports: [http://news.cnet.com/2102-1012_3-998547.html?tag=ni_print cnet], [http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/software/31431.html ecommercetimes]
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* [http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1162209 Conflicts About Intellectual Property Claims: The Role and Function of Collective Action Networks] - a paper about the lobbying on this directive
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* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_directive_on_the_patentability_of_computer-implemented_inventions Wikipedia: Proposed directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions]
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* [http://consultation.ffii.org/Clarifications FFII requests in order to clarify non-patentability of software], a 10 point summary by [[FFII]]
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* [http://www.timj.co.uk/digiculture/patents/timeline.php Software patents : Timeline of Tim Jackson's correspondence] - with MEPs from the [[UK]]
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* http://nobananaunion.com - one of the many anti-software-patent sites
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* http://www.european-patent-office.org/epo/dipl_conf/pdf/em00022.pdf - contains info about a 2000 attempt to introduce swpats
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==References==
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{{reflist}}
  
  
{{page footer}}
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{{footer}}
 
[[Category:European Union]]
 
[[Category:European Union]]
 
[[Category:Documents]]
 
[[Category:Documents]]

Latest revision as of 13:36, 24 August 2012

The EU software patents directive was a proposal by the European Commission to allow the patenting of software ideas in the European Union. The proposal was the subject of intense public debate and lobbying and was eventually rejected by the European Parliament in 2005 by a massive majority.

The proposal

The European Patent Office (EPO) had already been granting software patents, despite "programs for computers" being excluded from patentability in the European Patent Convention. The European Commission's proposed legislation would have replaced the European Patent Convention with a directive which copied EPO practice. The European Commission and pro-software-patent lobby groups claimed that this was simple "harmonisation".

Timeline

Amendments

List of letters written to MEPs

(This list will be very long when completed, so will probably be split off into its own page.)

Who was involved

Organisations active against software patents

Organisations active for software patents

Organisations yet to be classified

  • Google - represented by Mrs. Moll[3]
  • Novell - only expressed itself once, in a completely ambiguous manner

Related pages on ESP Wiki

Some people involved

Hundreds of people were involved, but to keep this list reasonable, these are the ones for whom ESP Wiki has articles:

External links

References