Estonian Information Ministry 2004-05-17: Large Consensus against Software Patents

A counsellor from the Estonian Ministry of Economics and Communication answered to an inquiry on the software patents directive:

• "We support ideas that this directive SHOULD carry (ie software is patentable in the range where it adds some unique value to physical device). At the same time we are also very worried that these ideas would be used wrongly and trivial software things would be presented as adding value to hardware. Possiblity of such mis-usage must be clearly eliminated from the text of directive and most of countries will take care of it when the proposal goes back to Europarliament. Countries are not interested in pure software patents and understand consequences very well."

This suggests that Estonian ministerial officials, like their colleagues in many other countries, are feeling uneasy about the scam of the Council patent administrators, but may lack the political will to actually resist. Instead this official seems to be placing hopes in the European Parliament's ability to resist the decision that he would, by his inactivity, be taking tomorrow.

The official position Estonian vote will be based on (unofficial translation):

• "Estonia supports computer software development and protection with patents, if present principial rules of patentability, specially EPC, are preserved. Estonia supports the draft directive if the principial patentability rules are preserved."

Unfortunately the Estonian position was formed by consulting only patent office, leaving the abovequoted view of IT-related counsellor completely unaccounted. Fortunately the wording seems to allow for change-of-mind in case the issue of possible effect on present patentability rules happens to come up on meeting.

There is also an article about situation on European software patents in Postimees, one of Estonia's largest daily papers..