[DMCA-Activists] FFII: EP Rejects Software Patent Directive, 648 to 14, 18 abstentions

[Seth Johnson]

PRESS RELEASE FFII -- [ Europe / economy / ICT ]

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Parliament says No to Software Patents
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Strasbourg, 6 July 2005 -- The European Parliament today decided
by a margin of 648 votes to 14, with 18 absentions, to _reject_
the directive "on the patentability of computer implemented
inventions", also known as the software patent directive.

This rejection was the logical answer to the Commission's refusal
to restart the legislative process in February and the Council's
unwillingness to take the will of the European Parliament and
national parliaments into account.  The FFII congratulates the
European Parliament on its clear "No" to bad legislative
proposals and procedures.

This is a great victory for those who have campaigned to ensure
that European innovation and competitiveness is protected from
monopolisation of software functionalities and business methods.
It marks the end of an attempt by the European Commission and
governmental patent officials to impose detrimental and legally
questionable practises of the European Patent Office (EPO) on the
member states.  However the questions created by this practise
remain unsolved.  FFII believes that the Parliament's work, in
particular the 21 cross-party compromise amendments, can provide
a good basis on which future solutions, both at the national and
European level, can build.

Jonas Maebe, FFII Board Member, comments on the outcome of
today's vote:

   "This result clearly shows that thorough analysis, 
   genuinely concerned citizens and factual information have 
   more impact than free ice-cream, boatloads of hired 
   lobbyists and outsourcing threats. I hope this turn of 
   events can give some people faith again in the European 
   decision making process. I also hope that it will 
   encourage the Council and Commission to emulate the 
   European Parliament to improve transparency and the 
   ability of stakeholders to participate in the decision-
   making process irrespective of their size."

Hartmut Pilch, president of FFII, explains why FFII supported the
move for rejection in its voting recommendations:

   In recent days, the big holders of EPO-granted software 
   patents and their MEPs, who had previously been 
   campaigning for the Council's "Common Position", joined 
   the call for rejection of the directive because it became 
   clear that the 21 cross-party amendments championned by 
   Rhoitová, Buzek, Rocard and Duff were very likely to be 
   adopted by the Parliament.  It was well noticeable that 
   support for these amendments or a substantial part 
   thereof was becoming the mainstream opinion in all 
   political groups.  Yet there would not have been much of 
   a point in such a vote.  We rather agree to the 
   assessment of the situation as given by Othmar Karas MEP 
   in the Plenary yesterday: a No was the only logical 
   answer to the unconstructive attitude and legally 
   questionable manuevers of the Commission and Council, by 
   which this so-called Common Position had come about in 
   the first place.

The FFII also wishes to thank all those people who have taken the
time to contact their representatives either by email, phone or
in person. We also want to thank the numerous volunteers who have
given so generously of their time and energy. This is your
victory as well as the Parliament's.

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Background information and further news
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* 21 cross-party compromise amendments
  
http://swpat.ffii.org/papers/europarl0309/amends05/komprom0506.en.pdf

* FFII voting recommendations for MEPs at today's plenary vote
  
http://swpat.ffii.org/papers/europarl0309/amends05/ffiivotlst050706.pdf

* Practise of the European Patent Office
   http://webshop.ffii.org/
   http://swpat.ffii.org/patents/
   http://gauss.ffii.org/

* Karas speech in the plenary yesterday
   http://wiki.ffii.org/Karas05075En

* Wallstreet Journal reports prominently about Lehne's conflicts
of interest
   http://wiki.ffii.org/WsjLehne050705En        

* Stay tuned to our news ticker
   http://wiki.ffii.org/SwpatcninoEn

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Contact information
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Hartmut Pilch and Holger Blasum
Munich Office
info at ffii org
tel. +49-89-18979927

Erik Josefsson
Brussels Office
erjos at ffii org
tel. +32-484-082063

Jonas Maebe
FFII Belgium
jmaebe at ffii org
tel. +32-485-369645

Rufus Pollock
FFII UK
rufus pollock at ffii org uk
+44-1223-690423

Gérald Sédrati-Dinet
FFII France, Vice President FFII
gibus at ffii fr
+33-6-60-56-36-45