Software patents in Europe go back to square one

In a victory for anti-software-patent forces in the European Union, the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (JURI) has decided to restart the software patent directive. Since its original introduction in May 2004, the directive has come under heavy fire from critics. It has been postponed on a number of occasions, most recently last week when Poland intervened to stop the Council of Agriculture and Fisheries from approving it.

Software patents have been a controversial issue in Europe since the directive was originally introduced. Currently, the European Patent Convention states that software is not patentable, although patents have been granted in a few legal disputes. The fear is that harmonizing European law and streamlining the patent process will lead to the kinds of abuses seen in the US. [Ars Techica]