[dundee] Fwd: Petition to stop software patents in Europe

[Rick Moynihan]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 2010/1/26
Subject: Petition to stop software patents in Europe
To: Geek Down <geek-down at googlegroups.com>


Hi,
 Some of you may have signed a petition in the past relating to
software patents, however the original petition has now expired so you
may want to go and sign the new petition:

http://petition.stopsoftwarepatents.eu/

Here's a bit of info from the website:

- - - - Introduction - - - -

Our petition aims to unify the voices of concerned Europeans,
associations and companies, and calls on our politicians in Europe to
stop patents on software with legislative clarifications.

The patent system is misused to restrain competition for the
economical benefit of a few but fails to promote innovation. A
software market environment is better off with no patents on software
at all. Healthy competition forces market players to innovate.

European court decisions still accept in many cases the validity of
the software patents granted by national patent offices and the
European Patent Office (EPO) that is beyond democratic control. They
not only continue to grant them, but also to lobby in favor of them.
Despite the current deep crisis of the patent system, they are unable
to reform and put at risk too many European businesses with their soft
granting policy.

On 2005 the Commission appeared to be more supportive to the interests
of major international conglomerates than of small and medium sized
enterprises from Europe - who are a major driving force behind
European innovation. The European Parliament rejected at the end the
software patent directive, but has no rights for legislative
initiatives.

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