[Nottingham] Summary of start of EU Patent Debate

[Robert Davies]

This makes for mixed reading, some MEPs seem to geddit, others worryingly 
clueless.  Arlene McCarthy seems to be sticking to her changed tune since the 
Guardian article, though the devil will be in the detail.  The legalese used 
for the draft directive, and amendments makes it very hard to follow who's 
actually being truthful and who's glossing and spinning.

http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade2?PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+PRESS+DN-20030923-1+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&L=EN&LEVEL=2&NAV=X&LSTDOC=N#SECTION1

"Commissioner Bolkestein also noted that opponents of the directive had 
mounted a vocal - and sometimes personal - campaign based on half-truths and 
misconceptions, raising delicate issues such as the competitiveness for 
smaller firms. He clarified that the legislation aimed to tighten up already 
existing rules."

Arlene McCarthy's complained about harrassment and bullying of staff, others 
of the misinformed lobbying compaign, more intense than any previous 
apparently.

The worst contribution is from an EPP (which is Conservative)
 
"Malcolm HARBOUR (EPP-ED, West Midlands) stated that patents played an 
indispensable role in making the EU the most dynamic knowledge based economy 
in the world. Patents, he said, help to stimulate investment and encourage 
invention. Protecting genuine invention and creativity would help business to 
develop products that people want to buy."

That completely ignores the differences between physical product development, 
and software publishing, after all book and music publisher's have done 
pretty well without patenting.

Rob