Summary: Microsoft and its front group ACT are still trying to break a long-established tradition of denying software patents in Europe, at least on paper

EARLIER today we wrote about VirnetX trying to expand its abusive patents to Europe (having made a mess in the United States with a US patent). Here is another company which wants its patent monopoly to be granted in Europe. As the president of the FFII put it:

ChatRoulette is patentable? The technology, which is patent pending in the US and the EU http://ur1.ca/2g60j

Microsoft too would love to legitimise software patents in Europe before/if it declares patent war on Linux. In case Microsoft decides to sue massively, it needs to prepare the ground, i.e. change the law overseas (in Germany, for example, Microsoft got its FAT patent endorsed quite recently). It's not easy to distort the law without some front groups which pretend to represent the interests of Europe and the interests of small businesses. That's what ACT is for and right now we find it lobbying harder to please its paymaster, Microsoft. Morgan Reed, the current Executive Director of ACT, posts some propaganda in the Huff&Puff (which accepts many pieces of fraud/quacks/junk). In it, ACT talks about TiVo, which is a patent aggressor [1, 2, 3, 4]. ACT is trying to promote software patents while giving sob stories, pretending that these come from SMBs. It is a lie. ACT arranges AstroTurf campaigns and another new example of it comes from Vincent van Quickenborne [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], the gullible politician who is serving the interests of American multinationals while pretending to serve Belgium. Here he is showing his lack of understanding by citing Mr. Sax from ACT [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]:

Minister@VincentVQ mentioned in the US Senate. Read the story of Belgian entrepreneur MikeSax http://www.scribd.com/doc/44590348 (p.3) #cool

The president of the FFII (also from Belgium) already tells Vincent that he is being bamboozled by Microsoft lobbyists:

Mike Sax is on the payroll of Microsoft and ACT. They are promoting software patents wherever they can.

Later comes this remarks:

Mike Sax for software patents in the name of "small companies", ACT is a Microsoft proxy, swpats are "Protectionism 2.0" http://ur1.ca/2hsog

For those who do not know or cannot remember, Vincent has been a key cheerleader of what would possibly become an open door to software patents in Europe. Either he does not understand what he is doing (deceived by lobbyists) or he is knowingly being malicious by harming European software developers.

Watch Microsoft's propaganda site (MSBBC) as it advertises this abominable push for a patent system which would likely accept software patents in due course:

A group of EU countries plans to strike a deal soon on a simplified and cheaper European patent system - a goal that has eluded the EU for a decade.

The European Commission has thrown its weight behind the move, admitting that there is no unanimity on the issue among the 27 member states.

MSBBC is not news. It's like the Fox 'news' of Microsoft and other corporations like GE. On the face of it, Google too joins this party by offering translations that bridge and thus facilitate USPTO invasion into Europe. "Google signs deal with European Patent Office to translate patents" says this article, but Google really ought to stop helping the broken US patent system, which it seems to be exploiting for ad revenue and other selfish interests, including an accumulation of software monopolies (patents).

Looking at the UK, Out-law.com has this curious article titled "Inventor only entitled to share of employer's actual patent earnings" and other publications reveal a misguided move in the UK. Glyn Moody writes about it:

Orborne introduces "patent box" - http://bit.ly/fFeFqm hmm, I'd prefer a "patent coffin"... #patents #uk

Is the UK-IPO wilfully borrowing the mistakes of the USPTO? "Patent tax break could drive technology innovation" says another headline from the British press. Is UK-IPO trying to become even worse than it already is? It sure seems like the USPTO stands a chance of repairing some parts of it. As the former president of the FFII, Pieter Hintjens, put it the other day: "Gotta love it. MSFT bankrolls pro-swpat lobbyists for years in Europe, now goes to SCOTUS cause a patent is aimed at Word." We wrote about this earlier.

Then there is the RAND lobby (largely Microsoft driven and funded [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]), which appears to have already messed about with Neelie Kroes' head. As the current president of the FFII put it:

Kroes against FLOSS: "can be implemented by all 3rd parties under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory conditions" http://ur1.ca/2hrmw

Needless to say, Kroes was lobbied heavily by Microsoft and its front group ACT. And that's the unfortunate outcome. ⬆