[Free-sklyarov-uk] Letter from MEP Malcolm Harbour (fwd)

[Jim Peters]

Hartmut Pilch wrote:
> - Malcolm Harbour is a major relay for the industrial patent lawyer
>   community in the Europarl ...
> 
> - Malcolm Harbour has frequently complained about misguided "open
>   source lobbying" and "groundless fears due to lack of knowledge of
>   the patent system" ...

Already from a quick search I've found evidence of Malcolm Harbour's
involvement in the software patent directive.  For example, he is
named here:

  http://www.europarl.eu.int/meetdocs/committees/juri/20021107/468231en.pdf

(Here is the Google HTML cache of the same thing with highlighting:)

  http://216.239.37.100/search?q=cache:kPZ9fbyg2MoJ:www.europarl.eu.int/meetdocs/committees/juri/20021107/468231en.pdf+%22malcolm+harbour%22+patent&hl=en&ie=UTF-8


The example of a valid patent in the document above is not at all
reassuring either (a technique which saves memory and therefore makes
a computer run faster has a 'technical effect').

I am resisting the pull to spend hours reading FFII.org, getting up to
speed on the whole issue and joining patent mailing lists or whatever
(I don't have the time!), but I will probably learn enough to reply to
Malcolm Harbour.

I wonder whether in writing to other MEPs it is worth pointing out
that the requirement for a 'technical effect' before a software patent
is granted provides *no* protection at all to the Open-Source / Free
Software community (or even to the software industry in general).
Presumably all the other MEPs are hearing the same arguments and
justifications as we are.

Jim

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