News

5 September 2006 – The monopoly right of the German company Nutzwerk received more than 50 percent of all all online-votes and was elected "software patent of August". Thus it is nominated for the election of the "software patent of the year 2006", taking place in autumn 2006. For developers of spam- and virus filters this software patent invlves considerable economic threats. The German Patent and Trade Mark Office grated the patent for "filtering individually information transferred via network" and is criticised for this practice. Nutzwerk has commented the election, as well as the initiative patentfrei.de . Hauke Duden, technical direktor with Ashampoo, a manufacturer of firewall-, antispyware- und antivirus-products, has commented on this matter. more

4 September 2006 – Jedox is involved internationally in the growing market for Business-Intelligence-Software and is our new campaign partner. The company is a leading provider of excel-to-web coroporate solutions. After negative experiences with patent applications the company is becoming involved against software patents. more

2 August 06 – Mobile surfing on the Internet is patent protected Internet-users voted for patent of Siemens to be the "software patent of July". – August features "prize winning" software patents to choose from. more

4 July 2006 – nosoftwarepatents-award sheds light on current patent-initiative of the EU-Commission. more

4 July 2006 – Mailig-lists, internet-panels and firewalls infringe the software patent EP1022875 of NTT. The patent is elected "software patent of June".

3 July 2006 EU-Commission has published preliminary findings on the consultation on the future patent policy in Europe. more

1 June 2006 – Patent of Lucent elected to be "software patent of May".

1 June 2006 – nosoftwarepatents-award invites to submit examples for alleged "valuable" software patents. more

3 May 2006 – EPO grants patent on algorithm related to devices for measuring consumption.

3 April 2006 - Philips patent on context menu nominated for the election of the "software patent of the year 2006". According to Philips and the European Patent Office (EPO) the patent EP249293 on the so-called context menu is not a software patent. Nevertheless internet-voter have elected exactly this patent to be the "softwarepatent of the month" in March. more in press release

15 March 2006 - European parlament votes against mutual acknowledgement of national patents. Proposal of Klaus Heiner Lehne (Christian Democrats) rejected. more

15 March 2006 - EU parlament is advocating harmonisation of patent system more on heise.de

14 March 2006 - EU consultation on European patent system: initiatives defend the interests of the European IT-industry. Questionnaires and a position paper support companies in their efforts to establish their position in the current EU-proceeding on the future of European patent policy. more

8 March 2006 - Move of EU commission on community patent under heavy fire more on heise.de

2 March 2006 - Software patents through WIPO-loophole? more on heise.de

27 Feb 2006 - Dispute about EU-consultation about community patent sharper more on heise.de

21 Feb 2006 - Internet-vote on most harmful software patent is beginning
The objective is to raise awareness of the dangers associated with software patents. The website www.nosoftwarepatents-award.com provides every month five specific examples of software patents, of which the patent offices have granted thousands throughout Europe. Within a very short time, Internet users will understand the consequences and dangers evoked by individual software patents. Subsequently, every user is free to vote which of the afore-mentioned patents should be be the "softwarepatent of the month". In the final online-voting, annonced for the autumn of 2006, will be elected one of the "softwarepatents of the month" which should receive the nosoftwarepatents-award 2006. See press release

13 Feb 2006 - Bavarian minister of justice is opposing community patent
more on heise.de

4 Feb 2006 - Asia is catching up on international patent applications
more on heise.de