James Delahunty
19 Feb 2005 5:49
The European Parliament has unanimously rejected the implementation of software patents despite heavy pressure from some of the worlds leading corporate software companies including Microsoft. If the request is approved by the European Commission, the proposal will be sent back to the EU for initial review, effectively restarting the legislative process. Software patents proposals have been met with opposition in the EU from member states and protesters.
Polish representatives twice rejected its adoption, while Spain and the Netherlands have supported a restart. In Brussels on Thursday, hundreds of protesters showed up to try to convince the lawmakers to drop the proposal entirely. Major software companies such as Microsoft make a habit out of filing enormous amounts of software patents in the U.S. to ensure they can keep themselves at the top of the software industry. If the European Commission withdraws the bill, it cannot be reintroduced for two years.
Source:
Betanews