Bonum Certa Men Certa

Techrights Commends Spain and Italy for Keeping Software Patents Out of Europe

Roma



Summary: "Spain, Italy file actions for annulment of unitary patent protection in EU's Court of Justice," Techrights has learned (documents now available)

IN OUR many past writings about software patents in Europe we named specific politicians whose role seemed to be the promotion of foreign interests for foreign monopolists. Some years ago it was Charlie McCreevy and these days it seems like Barnier carries the baton of shame. We wrote about him here, here, here, here, and various other places. Recently, as described here, even French groups started to expose Barnier (a Frenchman) for his insidious agenda which he masks as "union" "harmony", "unitary", and several other euphemisms in this whole tiresome shuffle-spiel. Don't believe them for a second. They are politicians, and they are pushing an agenda using whatever lies and wording gets the job done for their clients. In this case, the job can also usher software patents into Europe and -- in turn -- the rest of the world (which mostly must comply with the West due to old-fashioned sanction games).



Based on this informative tweet, "Spain, Italy file actions for annulment of unitary patent protection in EU's Court of Justice - http://bit.ly/npZ7mm http://bit.ly/rqlmgA "

"To have software patent trolls in the UK would be the rare exception."We have made local copies of these documents for future reference (document 1 [PDF] and document 2 [PDF]). This is not the first time that Spain and Italy take the lead on this subject (see the wiki archive), but this time they make it more formal.

Meanwhile, here in the UK, one of the Peer to Patent people (whom we do not fully agree with following their arrival at a country without software patents [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]) promises that "[n]ext week, I will discuss the exclusion for computer programs and methods of playing a game, doing business or performing mental acts." Well, in the UK it was hardly ever a subject of discussion until Symbian (Nokia) did its messy thing, as we covered several years ago. The UK does not really need a debate on the legality of software patents because these patents are, in principle, still outside the remit of the law. Even if they accidentally get granted, this does not mean they will stand in the courtroom. Caselaw basis defends software developers for the most part. To have software patent trolls in the UK would be the rare exception. It provides an incentive for people to develop in the UK and no incentives for patent parasites like trolls and hoarders to be based in the UK. When British developers get hit by a software patent lawsuit (which sometimes happens), it usually comes from a US-based patent troll, likely based in Texas.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Writing and Coding Isn't Always Enough
Last year we had to assume a role we didn't have before: litigants
 
Why We Publish Information About the SLAPPs (But Not About the Legal Process), an Abuse of Process by Americans Trying to Silence Critics of Their Employer, Microsoft
It doesn't take thousands of pages to explain something simple
Internet Relay Chat Didn't Fall Off a Cliff
IRC will turn 40 in less than 3 years from now
The UEFI 9/11 - Part V - This is Not a Drill (Disable "SecureBoot" Now)
A "9/11" Coming
There's No Obligation to Speak to Anybody
The very fact that "bkuhn" is till spending time in social control media says a lot about his poor judgment
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, September 01, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, September 01, 2025
The Register MS Says "AI Web Crawlers Are Destroying Websites", So Why Does The Register MS Help 'AI' Companies? (Spoiler: Money)
People need to call out The Register MS on its hypocrisy
Microsoft Trying to Force People to Resign (Amid Mass Layoffs) a Strategy That Takes Its Toll
Microsoft seems to be circling down the drain and the "final flush" will be the moment the "hey hi" (AI) bubble implodes completely
Google Simply Cannot Be Trusted
Only fools would trust GAFAM
Admission That a Third Party (or Parties) Funds the SLAPPs Against Techrights
This can end up costing them over a million dollars
Modifying and Writing One's Own Computer Programs is Not a Crime (or: Google Proves That Stallman Was Right)
We're generally gratified to see so many positive mentions of him
Why We Stopped Publishing Videos (for Now)
We'll probably get back to videos one day, but it's hard to say when or to what extent
What Animal Rights Activism Teaches Us About Sympathy and Focus
It's possible to believe that the planet is warming, that we must do something about it, and still eat eggs and butter
When You Turn Web Sites About Tech Into Political Sites
A lot of people fall into the trap of catering only for particular groups
Gemini Links 02/09/2025: ROOPHLOCH 2025 and Lagrange 1.19 Released
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: News Corp. WSJ and A Month With NixOS
Links for the day
Slopfarms Already Peaked, They Will Die When Slop Companies Run Out of Money to Borrow
slopfarms will lack an actual "engine"
“Sideloading” Never Killed Anybody
There are many online discussions this week about the misnomer "sideloading"
Slopwatch: Google News as FUD Vector Against Linux and Plagiarism Enhancer, Serial Slopper (SS) Uses LLMs to Googlebomb "Linux"
Slop destroys the Web not just by screwing with search engines and helping plagiarists. It's also responsible for de facto DDoS attacks...
Links 01/09/2025: "Attacks on Science" and China's "Soft Power" Grows
Links for the day
Links 01/09/2025: Fresh Backlash Against Slop and "Norway’s Electricity Crisis is About to Hit Britain"
Links for the day
Links 01/09/2025: Catching Up (Mostly via Deutsche Welle), "Windows TCO" Effect in UK
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: Linguistic Barriers and "Web 1.0 Hosting"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 31, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 31, 2025
Autumn Has Come
Autumn should be exciting in all sorts of ways; it'll also mark our anniversary
The UEFI 9/11 - Part IV - External Interference
They all seem to be playing a role in crushing Software Freedom and self-determination for users
Links 31/08/2025: Baggage Claim Scams, an Insurrectionist’s War on Culture, and a Sudden Robotics Hype
Links for the day
Gemini Links 31/08/2025: Reviewing Netsurf and Slightly Less Historic Ada Design
Links for the day
IBM Has Taken Control of GNOME
Don't expect a successor to be found any time soon
Links 31/08/2025: Google Gmail Data Breach and LF Puff Pieces for Pay
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 30, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, August 30, 2025
This is What Google News Has Become
Moments ago