06.05.09

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The EPO Does Not Work for European Citizens

Posted in Europe, Patents at 7:28 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

“The European Patent Office is a corrupt malicious organisation which should not exist. [...] But if the European Patent Office stands in your way, get rid of it too.”

–Richard Stallman, April 2009

Summary: The EPO comes under more fire for attempting to legalise software patents and rejecting letters written in Spanish

SOME weeks ago we showed that Don Knuth opposes software patents in Europe. Groklaw has just shared more details and thoughts about Knuth’s letter, which others like Glyn Moody are already passing further.

Donald Knuth, distinguished computer scientist, recipient of the Turing Award, creator of the TeX computer typesetting system, and author of The Art of Programming, which some call the Bible of computer programming, has submitted a letter [PDF] to the European Patent Office for submission to the EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal considering the question of software patents and whether they should be allowed in Europe.

knuth

Digital Majority has found this image which hopefully illustrates the irrationality of having the EPO grant patents (monopolies) on mathematical equations.

The EPO is already in a limbo and it is appalling to find that the EPO rejects the amicus brief from the former head of the FFII.

Alberto Barrionuevo, CEO of the small spanish software company OpenTIA and ex-president of the FFII, had submitted an amicus brief to the Enlarged Board of Appeal in spanish. The European Patent Office has notified him that they are refusing his letter because it was not written in one of the 3 official languages of the EPO.

The EPO is really setting itself for more public embarrassment. Is the EPO for citizens of Europe or is it a private enterprise that only accepts French, German, and English people as “eligible citizens”? The EPO is not so much of a public institute. Like the Federal Reserve, for example, it’s a business. █

“Staff at the European Patent Office went on strike accusing the organization of corruption: specifically, stretching the standards for patents in order to make more money.

“One of the ways that the EPO has done this is by issuing software patents in defiance of the treaty that set it up.”

–Richard Stallman

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