LONDON'S small independent IT firms face disaster after an EU committee voted to allow unlimited patenting of computer software, the city's Green MEP Jean Lambert has warned.
The decision, taken by the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee will, in one swoop, entrench the market dominance of multinational companies, force small software firms out of business and bring to an end the European free software movement.
The decision will be seen as a slap in the face of the Economic and Social Council, the Industry committee, the Culture committee, 140,000 people and 30 leading software scientists who signed two petitions to the Parliament, as well as the 95% of the European citizens who took part in a European Commission public consultation.
London's Green MEP Jean Lambert said: "This patent report is an insult even to the principle of free trade. Pretending to protect inventors and their inventions, it instead allows multinationals to lock up the market."
"This legalisation, as it stands, represents the death of the European software industry, and the death of the free and open-source software industry which, by more than a coincidence, is primarily a European sector.
"If implemented, it would conclude the transfer of our data-processing control to the US. You can be sure that the report will have a very bumpy ride when it goes to plenary in September with one third of committee members in opposition."
ENDS
For more information please contact Ben Duncan on 020 7407 6280, 07973 823358 or at press@greenmeps.org.uk