Sorry about the mess of cross-forwarding! Cheers, Ben. -- http://www.apache-ssl.org/ben.html Coming to ApacheCon Europe 2000? http://apachecon.com/
If the information is correct (which I am not in a position to confirm), you should say YEP and not GAK. It seems unlikely that the EPO can obtain agreement in the coming diplomatic conference on a text that would be opposed by Germany, the UK and France. Additional precision: from what I understand, this would have been a vote in the board of EPO, on which text would be proposed for revision of the European Patent Convention at the Conference. The original proposal of the Director of EPO was for straight removal of art. 52 paragraphs (2)to(4), that is exclusions to patentability, based on argumentation that the requirements of inventive step, industrial applications, etc, were sufficient. I do not know if this is the proposal that was discussed in the board. Philippe > Gak!!! > > -- > http://www.apache-ssl.org/ben.html > > Coming to ApacheCon Europe 2000? http://apachecon.com/ > > - - - Forwarded Message - - - > > Internet: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Authorised by: > > Internet: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Freeform name: Steve Bellovin > > Message ID: 20000913125531.E57D435DC2(a)smb.research.att.com > > To: Internet: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: software patents in Europe > > (Not strictly on-topic, but nevertheless of likely interest to many > readers of this list.) > > According to the (online) Wall Street Journal, the board of > administration of the European Patents Office has voted to permit > software patents, by a 10-9 vote. Opposition to the change came from > the Germans, the French, and the British; smaller countries, such as > Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Cyprus, supported it. A German > official is quoted as saying "We would have problems with the U.S. > tendency to patent everything that can be patented. That would stifle > innovation and cause a glut of litigation." > > A final decision will be made in November. > > > --Steve Bellovin > > > > > - - - End of Forwarded Message - - - _______________________________________________ Freesw mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.conecta.it/mailman/listinfo/freesw
