European Union's Software Patent Issue Is TabledEuropean Union's Software Patent Issue Is Tabled

The software-patent issue before the European Union's Council has been put off until next year and could enter legislative limbo for months, if the European Parliament decides to restart the entire process.

Belgian minister of economic affairs, Marc Verwilghen, on Tuesday announced that the issue will not be voted on this year. Previously, the vote was scheduled to take place before the end of 2004.

Opposition to legalize software patents in Europe has been growing recently, gaining increased momentum late last month, when a group of open-source pioneers led by Linux developer Linus Torvalds publicly appealed to the EU Council to block the legalization of software patents.

While software-patent issues are different in the U.S., the European activity is picking up interest in North America. "Europe now has an opportunity to examine this all-important policy issue in real depth--rather than as an arcane legal argument," said Michigan University Professor Brian Kahin, a former senior policy analyst at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during the Clinton administration, in a statement. "Something needs to be done to relieve software developers, knowledge producers, and users in all sectors from the incalculable liabilities that are building up around software processes."

Florian Mueller, campaign manager of lobbying group NoSoftwarePatents.com, said a fresh start and examination of the issue could well be "the fastest path to a solution that is acceptable to everyone."