Some SMEs like software patents myth
Contents
A fake EU SME working group report
The report (see below) is actually a EU working group report, but it is not drafted by SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises).
The overall coordinators were two SAP employees. The five subtopics were coordinated by employees of BSA, Intel, Philips, SAP, and Siemens. These mega corporations are who the European Commission decided were best to lead a group with this mandate:
This working group will seek to assess the contributions that IP (in all its forms) makes to European economies; study the link between IP, R&D and innovation; explore the scope, causes and impact of piracy; consider opportunities to promote public awareness of IP; and to determine what, if any, adjustments need to be made to Europe’s existing IP system to enhance ICT competitiveness and uptake, including the importance of standards and ICT interoperability; especially with regard to SMEs.[1]
(emphasis added)
MS and IBM bring an SME friend
In New Zealand, when IBM and Microsoft had private meetings with the Ministry to change the patent law proposal, they were accompanied by one New Zealand SME. Documents published after a citizen request under the Official Information Act show that the representative of the SME contributed nothing to the pre- and post-meeting email discussions, and his only contribution during the meeting was a statement that he supported software patents. When a Ministry representative asked him if he wanted to apply for software patents in New Zealand, he said no.
Looks like a shill operation.
In 2004 and 2005, during the final lobbying on the EU software patents directive, Microsoft did a lot of their lobbying by accompanying friendly SMEs to meetings with MEPs. Thousands of businesses work with Microsoft and have relationships with varying degrees of dependency. Being able to bring a single person or a dozen people to meetings is not representative of anything, but it looks better than Microsoft going to these meetings alone.Can you help? I saw this first hand, but has anyone a link I could add to give further details?
Related pages on ESP Wiki
- Why companies apply for software patents
- Software patents harm SMEs
- Inequality between small and large patent holders
- Protecting small inventors myth
Confirmation that SMEs are against swpats
External links
- EICTA sends Microsoft to represent SMEs on software patents in EP
- Big businesses boast of patent benefits, for small businesses - about how Big Business wrote the fake SME report
- Mike Sax argues for software patents - Sax is a representative of ACT, a group which pushes the policies of Microsoft
