The European Commission has voted against software patents overwhelmingly. Only a few months ago, things looked desperate — Poland was the only European country with the courage to keep on fighting — but now the technology world can celebrate its own modest Victory in Europe day.
If Europe had fallen, it would have been impossible for Canada and other little countries to stand up against combined European and American pressure.
Thanks, Europe.
Quoderat 
It’s funny because as a french I could have been only interested by the Olympics today but my concern was more avout software patent and this European parliement vote.
And to be honest, I don’t really mind Paris didn’t get the Olympics but I’m really happy the parliement rejected the law proposal.
Maybe there could be some pressure group in the USA to reverse the machine and get rid of the software patent right as well, although I might dream a bit too much there 🙂
It’s a first step, anyway. If the EU had approved software patents, the patents would have started to seem normal; the more other countries reject them, the more ammo opponents in the U.S. have.
It’s funny that you mention the Olympics. I lived in Toronto a decade and a half ago when that city was bidding for the Olympics for the first time, and almost everyone I knew downtown was strongly opposed — people cheered when the city’s bid failed. I take it people in Paris actually wanted the games.
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Yeah apparently most people in France wanted the games… well that’s what the media said.
I didn’t have my mind on that subject… London is close enough and I won’t have the burden anyway 😉
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Yey! Thanks for the report!