Compliance Toolkit

Story: IBM accused of hypocrisy over patent collaboration

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Media Statement
For Immediate Release

A RERUN OF THE
SOFTWARE PATENT DEBATE WILL DAMAGE
EUROPE’S INNOVATORS

London, 11 January 2005 – The move by a small minority of MEPs to restart the legislative process on the Computer Implemented Directive (commonly misnamed the “Software patents” directive), will create further confusion, cost and uncertainty for Europe’s most innovative small and medium sized companies.

Supporters of the Directive believe the proposed Motion in the European Parliament which is primarily based on ‘discontinuity’, lacks sufficient grounds to validate restarting a legislative process which has been going on for five years now.

Simon Gentry of the Campaign for Creativity said the move by opposition to delay the Directive further, begins to make a mockery of the legislative process.

“Given that the facts surrounding the Directive have remained the same throughout the process there is no case for repeating the whole process.”

“From the outset, the Directive sought to clarify the existing laws on patentability. It is obvious that the current patenting regime creates a positive legal framework which is supportive of innovative IT companies. The IT sector is thriving. Even Open Source is thriving in the current regime.”

He went on, “Those who want to abolish patentability for CI inventions, need to prove that the current system is not working. After five years they have failed to do that. Restarting the debate will not alter that fact.”

“Europe’s creative and innovative industries need a stable and effective legal environment in which to thrive. This attempt to drag the debate on for another three yeas will do the opposite” he said.

--ENDS—

For further information please contact:

Simon Gentry
Campaign for Creativity
Simon.gentry@campaignforcreativity.com
http://campaignforcreativity.org/camp4creativity/
++ 44 (0)77 6027 4414

Hugo Shanahan
Hugo.shanahan@campaignforcreativity.org
Campaign for Creativity
++ 44 (0)77 8900 5514

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