ZDNet: EU votes through software patent changes: "After a stalled effort on Monday, the European Council has approved controversial changes to a draft directive, meaning that Europe is now likely to see widespread patenting of software programs."
The wider story: 2004-05-18 EU Council of Ministers Approves Software Patents. Background to the arguments against: Software patents: Key Arguments, which concludes that patents threaten competition, SMEs, open source, and personal creative freedom. Also: Software Patents: who pays and who plays?
There's a metric EU-load of information to read there and elsewhere, but the potential outcome seems to be that largecos may manage to be awarded patents for software "methods", "approaches", "technology" etc, which mean that other companies and organisations would need to license the same or risk litigation. Is this now set in stone? Will it encourage softwarecos to relocate outside of the EU? (Would relocation make any difference?)
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