European Parliment Scraps Patent Law

The European Parliament overwhelmingly voted to reject a proposed law that would create a single way of patenting software across the European Union.  The final vote, 648-14 vote with 18 abstentions, came Wednesday and is the nail in the coffin for the bill, since the drafters of the law, the head office of the European Commission, say they won’t create another bill.  Many lawmakers have said they believed the measure did not promote innovation and would stifle enterprise, and also that human knowledge cannot be patented.

EICTA, a group representing 10,000 companies including giants such as Nokia and Alcatel SA which had been lobbying for the bill, said the decision to scrap it was wise, given the large number of amendments that threatened to severely narrow the scope of the legislation.  CompTIA, representing small- and medium-sized information technology companies, echoed this view. “Conflicting views have confused the issue and made it difficult for the parliament to reach a clear and balanced decision that would adequately support innovation.”

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