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Frits Bolkestein (Member of the European Commission) on SWPAT

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Mr Frits Bolkestein Member of the European Commission in charge of the Internal Market Protection of intellectual property rights in the European Union Address to Irish Exporters' Association Dublin, 29 May 2001

DN: SPEECH/01/247 Date: 2001-05-29

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SPEECH/01/247

Mr Frits Bolkestein

Member of the European Commission in charge of the Internal Market

Protection of intellectual property rights in the European Union

Address to Irish Exporters' Association

Dublin, 29 May 2001

Ladies and Gentlemen,

[...]

Software

Recently, considerable debate has taken place in Europe about the patentability of software-related inventions. Some consider that patents in this field tend to stimulate innovation. Others believe that patents will, on the contrary, stifle fair competition and hinder innovation. In the Commission we are currently considering what is the best approach to follow. We are studying the results of a public consultation we launched on the subject. It is clear from the replies we have received that there is no support for moving to a very wide protection extending, for example to business methods, which is the approach which the US applies. Any action at EU level would therefore be limited to harmonising and codifying the existing practice of Member States and of the European Patent Office.

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