MEPs Call For Debate To Be Restarted On Software Patent Directive

by Ulrika Lomas, for LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels

12 January 2005

A group of 61 MEPs from 13 member states have called for the debate on the EU's Software Patents Directive to be restarted, arguing that such a move is necessary on the grounds of new elections and extension of the European Union to 25 members.

The European Commission had planned to rubber stamp the controversial directive in its current form at one of the last EU Council meetings of 2004.

However, Poland's Minister of Science and Information Technology, Wlodzimierz Marcinski made a special trip to Brussels to ask that the issue be dropped from the Fisheries Council's agenda.

"Poland is determined to favour unambiguous phrasing in European Community law," the Minister explained.

Mr Marcinski reportedly asked for the vote to be delayed in order to allow Poland to prepare a "constructive declaration" on the Directive.

In a statement released on Monday on behalf of the NoSoftwarePatents.com campaign, Florian Mueller announced that:

"This issue is controversial, complex, and so very critical to Europe's future. A total restart is also a face-saving exit strategy for the EU Council."

However, those who support the Directive in its current form, such as large European and international software firms, fear that a delay in passing the legislation will give its opponents time to mount an organised lobbying campaign.

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