You may have been following the Software Patents issue being voted on this year in Europe, as described here.

I'd like to make you aware of the software patents directive due for vote on September 1st in the European Commission. Countries like America have shown real problems with software patents, most notably when Amazon patented the "one-click shopping" technology.

Software patents do not promote technological development, and will harm the future of Free Software.


If you are able to, please consider attending the real demonstration that will take place in Brussels on the 27th August. If not, then please display a similar message on your web site, and take action with FFII.


Cette message est là pour protester contre la directive sur les brevets logiciels
devant être votée le 1er septembre par la Commission Européenne. Des pays comme les USA ont démontré les graves problèmes posés par ces brevets ; en particulier avec celui déposé par Amazon sur le "one click shopping".

Les brevets logiciels n'encouragent pas le développement technologique et ne feront que nuire au futur des logiciels libres.

Si vous en avez la possibilité, n'hésitez pas à aller participer à la manifestation qui aura lieu à Bruxelles le 27 août. Sinon, vous pouvez placer un message similaire à celui-ci sur votre site, et soutenir l'action de la FFII.

Lets hope Europe doesnt go down the same route as has happened in America.

Well to all you people in Europe I hope you don't get software patents.

And for those in the US make sure you sign the Petition Against Sofware Patents in an effort to overturn the earlier decision.
http://www.petitiononline.com/pasp01/petition.html

Patents should be up the the developers. If someone creates software and wants it to be thiers why not? they created it, it should be thiers. If a developer creates software and wants it to be open source then fine. Whats the problem?

What if someone patentented http and eveyone has to pay for license to use it?

What it you patent a FPS game (Like DOOM) No more half-life or Unreal?

Patents are BAD, They destroy any advancement, We'd have one web browser, One OS One GUI, One ....

No one can improve anything because only the original patent holder has that right. Think what that would be like... urghh.

You think theres a lot of miss matching standards now, think what it would be like if everthing was patented!

Forget Anybody Writing Anything Ever again. You can't Right ANY software without stepping on a patent somewhere.

At the moment patents are held at bay as once somebody starts attacking someone with a patent, everyone does at that would be a mess. But unless this is solved soon its going to be very bad...

Thats a pretty broad way of looking at things. Yea, you shouldnt be able to patent something like those examples but you should be able to patent songs, music, and other things that do not take control over a whole medium or service. Just cuz someone patents a song dosnt mean they own the rights to the whole music industry. If i make a game and patent or get the copyright for it that does not mean i own all other video games.

Hi Baja

The problem is, that people are patenting things inappropriately - Nobody minds people patenting things that have a significant, demonstrable degree of originality - unfortunately, many patents are signed on software that has little originality, uses concepts that are widely known and used, all this has the effect of stifiling development.

Copyright covers what your mentioning.

Patents cover Ideas.

So have an IDEA for a new type of game, Patent it and NOBODY can write a game like that without a license from you. No source needed.

You don't even have to be able to program or anything. Just the idea will do.

Amazon Patented One Click Shopping not the code that made it work. Just anything similar to the idea will land you in court.

Copyright covers the game, Patent covers the idea of a game.

FPS Like Doom / Half-Life / Unreal are all the same basic Idea. There all covered by copyright, Patent though would ban similarity.

Command And Conquer would not exist is Dune 2 Would have been patented.

Can you see where this would lead? and why it would stifle advancement? WHY its so bad?