[Gllug] software patents

[Richard Hillesley]

On Tuesday 08 June 2004 14:06, Alain Williams wrote:
> I'm just 'phoning round the prospective MPs (well, the party offices) to see what they think
> about it. This is a worth while exercise since the party workers will report to the (prospective)
> MPs what questions are being asked -- especially if you ask them to do so because you think
> that it is the most important issue in Europe at the moment (along with the rest - but don't say that).
> 
The voting records of the UK parties on software patents in the European parliuament 
can be found at http://www.ffii.org.uk

The only UK party to vote consistently against extending patentability is the Green Party,
although the Welsh and Scots Nats have also opposed the changes while not always voting.
The Green party is aware of the dangers of patents because of their own campaigns against
genetic and plant patents - the greens have been strongly allied with campaigns 
to raise awareness of the patent industry.

The libdem MEPs voted for it, despite this being against their stated party policy.
Apart from the Greens, the LibDems are the most aware of Linux and open source - 
at a policy level - due to the fact that the IT spokesman, Richard Allan. (MP for Sheffield 
Hallam) is technically literate. Their MEPs seem to 
have been led in the opposite direction under the influence of the Dutch Liberals.
Presumably, this aberration is worth discussing with them.

The UKIP MEPs have also voted against patentability on some occasions, 
but probably for different reasons. (AFAIK they vote against all European directives,
not because they have an articulate view on software patents)..

The voting of the two corporatist parties, ie "New Labour" and the Tories, has been 
more or less totally in favour of patentability, with a handful of exceptions - but I 
imagine one or two could be persuaded against it.  

Curiously, the breakdown of parties for and against software patentability 
coincides more or less  with the breakdown of the parties for and against the Iraq war.
- but I'm not sure what that tells us :)
.
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