The European Parliament has overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to create a single method of patenting software within the European Union. Commonly referred to as the software patents directive, the proposal had been massively amended during negotiations, and had losing ground within the EU community since its introduction in 2001. The bill would not have permitted so-called “pure software” to be patented, but would have covered computerized inventions such as cell phones, medical scanners, and other systems to be patented if the software made a innovative “technical contribution” to the state of the art. Algorithm and procedure could not be patented under the defeated proposal, but a unique invention or application of that algorithm would have been eligible.
Tag Archive: proposal
FCC Proposes 911 Service for VoIP
“After a few incidents where customers failed to reach emergency officials when they dialed 911, federal regulators are increasing pressure on companies to ensure those calls get routed and answeredproperly with location information.
The proposal would require companies like Vonage Holdings Corp. to route 911 calls directly to primary emergency lines within four months of the order being issued, the sources said, declining to be identified because the proposal is not a public record.
Martin has circulated the proposal so it could be voted at the agency’s open meeting on May 19, the sources said. He would have to win the votes of two of the other three FCC commissioners for approval or work out a compromise with them.
Norway: You Cannot Copy CD’s To MP3 Players
“The proposal, intended to bring Norway’s law in line with European Union (news – web sites) rules, drew immediate praise from the music and film industry as well as criticism from opponents.
Even though Norway is has remained outside the EU, it is bound by most of the bloc’s directives through the European Economic Area Agreement.
The new proposal would allow fines and a maximum penalty of three years in prison for violating copyrights and engaging in computer piracy.”
Group Proposes Next-Gen WiFi Standards
From the press release:
A consortium of companies collaborating under the moniker
‘Pirate Act’ Raises Civil Rights Concerns
A proposal that the Senate may vote on as early as next week would let federal prosecutors file civil lawsuits against suspected copyright infringers, with fines reaching tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The so-called Pirate Act is raising alarms among copyright lawyers and lobbyists for peer-to-peer firms, who have been eyeing the recording industry’s lawsuits against thousands of peer-to-peer users with trepidation. The Justice Department, they say, could be far more ambitious.
Read more at Cnet
FBI Pushes For Broadband Wiretap Powers
The long-awaited proposal, submitted to the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday, has been crafted so broadly that it would outlaw the introduction of new broadband services that did not support ready wiretapping access. Companies currently offering broadband would be given 15 months to comply.
Read the full story at CNET News.com.
