FITUG e.V.
Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft
FITUG e.V.Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft |
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October 6, 2001
New Software Patent Law for Europe Looking Limited
By PAUL MELLER
RUSSELS, Oct. 5 — The European Union appears to be moving toward unified regulations for software patents that would be less encompassing than regulations in the United States and Japan.
Competition officials at the European Commission, the executive arm of the 15-nation union, met Wednesday with their colleagues in charge of drafting a new law for the union, to press their case for limiting its scope. Their concern is that overly protective patent regulation could hinder competition by helping large software manufacturers maintain their dominant positions.
A person involved in the discussions said the concerns of the competition officials had been met. "We haven't agreed on a final position, but I don't anticipate any further difficulties in getting the draft directive approved within the commission," he said.
The approach being adopted by the commission would allow patents only for software of a technical nature, and it would not permit patents on business methods. The United States and Japan allow patents on a much wider range of software applications, and they both permit patents for business methods.
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