07.21.10
Fraunhofer Promotes Software Patents, Even in Europe (and Van Quickenborne Facilitates It)
Summary: Patent news from Europe, including some new warnings about proponents of the harmful practice of software patenting
Fraunhofer is close to Microsoft and even to the Gates Foundation, as we showed in posts such as:
- Fraunhofer Again Lobbies for Microsoft Lock-in
- Did Microsoft Pay Fraunhofer for Report on OOXML?
- Patents Roundup: Google Versus Patent Trolls, Patents Unrest, Microsoft’s Friend Fraunhofer to Report on Software Patents in Europe
- CompTIA, Martin Bean, Fraunhofer Fokus, and Other Microsoft Boosters
- Big Financial Link Between Fraunhofer and Microsoft: The Gates Foundation
- The Gates Foundation-Connected GlaxoSmithKline Indirectly Paid Scientists to Exaggerate Vaccine Needs
According to Jan Wildeboer, Dr. Kurt Blind from Fraunhofer says that a software patent “reduces transaction costs”.
Wildeboer asks: “In what galaxy does he live?”
This pattern of patent maximisation over at Fraunhofer is at least a consistent one. Fraunhofer is a true proponent of monopolies.
Interestingly enough, the following new interview with Van Quickenborne reveals that they (Belgian government) plan to enable software patents through the back door. “Comment of Hartmut Pilch on the EU Patent video removed by Euractiv,” says the Belgian president of the FFII, which was founded by Pilch himself. Are dissenting views about this video being suppressed by deletion? Apparently so. Here is another new video of Van Quickenborne, who talks about the same subject.
At a later stage, the president of the FFII pointed out that according to Horns, “Mr Marco Schulze of BIKT had argued that patent law obstructs proper use of copyright.” These are some serious misconceptions that even Horns is opposing in his blog. Horns is not a hardliner.
Politicians ought to be educated about the technical matters involved. A lot of them remain gullible enough to rush through anything that lawyers and monopolies they work for are proposing. “Very soon, the progress bar will finally be legal to use in software in the EU,” wrote Rui Seabra. The patent is due to expire on October 24th. Why was it patented in the first place? It’s just a digital metaphor for something like an hourglass. And why was in patented in Europe, which claims to be against software patents? █
