The UK Independence Party (UKIP) has slammed those pushing for software patents in the European Union.
Two days before the UK's general election, UKIP also attacked rival political parties for failing to understand the software patent issue, and the damage it claims they could cause.
An emailed statement from the company said: "Software patents stifle innovation, unfairly favour big business, and curtail the rights and freedoms of individual computer programmers. Software patents can be used a tool to restrict freedom of ideas and freedom of expression. As a strong supporter of civil liberties and freedom of speech, this party could never support the introduction of such measures."
"All three major UK political parties have yet to make a stand against the introduction of software patents. They're asleep on the job as our liberties trickle away."
UKIP, which claims to use open source software in its Birmingham head office, said it would fight any attempt by the EU to pass the Computer Implemented Inventions Directive — a law that many say would allow the widespread patenting of software in Europe. It congratulated governments in Poland, Hungary, Cyprus, Lativia, and the Netherlands for opposing the directive.
"If the legislation is passed, the only way to prevent the introduction of software patents in the UK would be to leave the European Union — a course of action that only UKIP favours."
No Labour or Conservative MPs were available to comment on the matter, however when asked about software patents and the EU, a Labour telephone assistant said, "There is an election going on."
The software patent directive is due to be considered by the European Parliament in July, when it will have an opportunity to amend or reject it.
Talkback
The liberal democrats have a policy making it clear they are against Software Patents including the Council Text. Unfortunately their MEP's are closely tied to Patent Lawers and the pro-software patent lobby.
If the 3 major politcial parties gave a toss about the Information Economy then things like this and ID Cards and the numerous failed government and PPI technology projects that have failed would be a big deal and sorted. But they are not and they won't be.
The LibDems may have a policy opposing software patents, but in practice their voting record has been less than clear. Don't forget that many of those pushing the version of the Directive that would effectively open the floodgates to patenting of software also claim to oppose software patents. Rather, they say they want "computer implemented inventions", which, on closer scrutiny, are legally indistinguishable from software patents as most people understand them.
The bottom line? When anyone claims to oppose software patents, be sure to read the smallprint...
Glad to hear some politicians haven't swallowed the contra-factual drivel and mind-bogglingly fallacious reasoning coming from the likes of EICTA, the EPO and the UKPO. When Nokia's IPR department can explain exactly why innovation and progress in software now depends on mobile phone manufacturers having a 20 year monopoly right to exclude others from using 'inventions' like this: http://gauss.ffii.org/PatentView/EP1253500 (which - in this not so unusual case - they have actually 'stolen' from others in the first place: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=58417 ), then perhaps we'll just have to concede the argument and quietly resign ourselves to our proper place in society: as vile and destructive gangsters rather than creative and innovative geeks: http://wiki.ffii.org/Ipred0504En
The Software Patent thingy should be dropped all together because even if a small fragment of it survives the payed for lobbiest and clueless politicians will, over time, turn it into the monster it currently is.
One thing is clear. The outcome of the Software Patent thingy will make clear if the UK and EU are governed by sound reasoning or the wishes and desires of the rich and powerfull (that claim to want only the best for the world just as long as they're sitting on top of it).
The Campaign for Creativity, which striongly SUPPORTS the patentability of Computer Implemented inventions, is delighted that the neo-Fascist UKIP are opposing the CII Directive. We certainly don't want them on our side! (Happily for us, UKIP don't vote in the European Parliament anyway so their opposition to the Directive will not affect the outcome anyway). It just goes to show the depths that the copyists will go to get support for their position.
The only "Neo-Fascist" in this case is Simon Gentry.
Simon Gentry is a well-known PAID political LOBBYIST! He is the personal ENEMY of European freedom-lovers, programmers and IT workers in general.
YES, I SAID PERSONAL ENEMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would vote for them, if i were English.
> is delighted that the neo-Fascist UKIP
Maybe someone needs to give this man a dictionary.
How can a party that is a strong supporter of European free trade and honest friendly relations with Europe, but opposed to centralised rule by unelected fanatics, be termed a facist. Surely he has it the wrong way round?!
UKIP is against the broken and corrupt EU system, not Europe. Do at least do your research before slagging them down. The word Fascist has an actual meaning, it is not synonymous with "People I don't like".
> (Happily for us, UKIP don't vote in the European
> Parliament anyway so their opposition to the
> Directive will not affect the outcome anyway)
There are 12 UKIP MEPs who work within a block of like minded EUsceptics in the Parliament to try and stop the worst excesses of the Commission by [tadaah] voting against the relevant directives.
The fact that the Commission brings the same old stuff back to the table, again and again, despite being voted down, again and again is something that cannot be changed by UKIP or anyone else. They say that the only way to stop it's effect on the UK is to leave the EU mechanism.