[Fsfe-uk] UKPatentOffice Workshops

[MJ Ray]

I've written up my notes from today's workshop on "technical
contribution" and you can read them at
http://www.affs.org.uk/~mjr/swpatws200503/ - I've other stuff
here if you want to ask me questions, but I might reply off-list.
If other people email me to let me know where their notes are,
I'll link them in.

Given I encountered another person from East Anglia without
trying and there are 6 workshops in London to come, I asked why
they hadn't put any in Cambridge. I was told there wasn't enough
demand. Well, if they don't offer any events near here, of
course that reduces demand from this area!

On Robin's email: we keep getting told this is just a little
harmonisation, but it seems to be a harmonisation *upwards* that
expands the "as such" loophole. At least one of the definitions
of "technical contribution" considered at today's UKPO workshop
let thorough pretty much all of the examples in the opinion of
nearly all people there, which is very worrying. The commission
press spokesmen don't keep calling it "the software patent
directive" because it will prevent software patents, do they?

My other eyebrow-raiser: on the terrorism act in Westminster last
week, the government started ranting about letting the elected
chamber prevail. On software patents, the UK government acts in
concert with the Commission to obstruct the EU's elected chamber...

-- 
MJR/slef
http://www.affs.org.uk/~mjr/swpatws200503/