Zombie law

A crap EU law has risen from the grave. The EU Commission wants software patents. Again. On the same day that Sir Robin Jacob, a judge at the U.K.'s Court of Appeal who specializes in intellectual-property law, questioned whether software patents are needed at all.

Many claimed that this directive could lead to the widespread patenting of software, as is the case in the U.S.

"The United States takes the view that anything made by man, under the sun, can be patented. And they have granted patents for business methods, mainly computer business methods. But as far as I can see, it would cover a new and improved method of stacking oranges on a barrel," Jacob said.

Jacob said that IP rights are often justified on the "pragmatic grounds" that they encourage research and development, but that people have "got to look at all IP rights critically and say, 'Do we need them?'"

Compared to some of the US Patents an improved way of stacking oranges would seem the hight of sanity.

Software Patents where rejected by 648 votes to 14 last time by the democratic fig leaf that is the EU Parliament. But why let a little thing like democracy get in your way.