Software patents back in EU fishery agenda as no-vote item

["Kees Stravers" <kees.stravers@xxxxxxxxx>]

Van groklaw.net:

Deja Vu in the EU - Monday They Will Try to Rubber Stamp Software 
Patents. Yes. Again
Friday, January 21 2005 @ 05:15 AM EST

Believe it or not, they are trying the same trick again that Poland 
blocked in December to try to push software patents down the throats 
of an unwilling populace in Europe.

FFII has put out a press release that begins like this:

    The EU Software Patent Directive has been or will be scheduled on 
the agenda of the Agriculture and Fishery Meeting of the 24th of 
January as an A item, i.e. an item that is to be adopted without a 
vote. This was announced today by officials of the European 
Commission and of the EU Council Presidency at various meetings. The 
entry is not on the official meeting calendar yet.

Heise has the news as well:

    According to statements by members of the government of 
Luxembourg and the EU Commission the Ministers of Agriculture in 
their meeting of the EU Council of Agriculture and Fisheries on 
Monday are to give the nod to the controversial position of the EU 
Council of Ministers on the Directive on the Patentability of 
"computer-implemented inventions". 

So. Monday. It's back to Go. They say they will place the Directive' 
COM 2002/0047 (COD) "On the Patentability of Computer-Implemented 
Inventions" (Software Patent Directive on the list of items and then, 
presto, software patents are accepted despite all the clear evidence 
that the majority don't want them. There are more details on FFII's 
site.

http://www.ffii.org/