Ireland Puts Forward Alternative To EU's IT Patent Law Plans

by Jason Gorringe, for LawAndTax-News.com, London

10 May 2004

Technology firms, venture capitalists, and multinationals based in Ireland have come out in support of compromise proposals created by the Irish government in response to amendments to the European Union's Directive on the Patentability of Computer Implemented Inventions.

Responding to concerns expressed by programmers and entrepreneurs in the EU, the European Parliament last year approved around 90 amendments to the Directive, the majority of which were designed to ensure that software and business methods cannot themselves be patented.

However, according to an Irish Independent report published last week, the Republic's IT sector is concerned that not only will the amendments make it more difficult to patent IT inventions, but that they will retrospectively restrict existing patent agreements.

The alternative text proposed by the Irish EU Presidency would lay the framework for the harmonisation of EU patent laws, whilst maintaining intellectual property rights, according to the Independent.

Speaking to the newspaper on Thursday, Oireachtas Committee chairman revealed that the Committee would be supporting the compromise proposal, explaining that:

"The dramatic changes proposed (by the European Parliament) have very serious implications for Ireland."

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