Plans are currently underway to introduce software patents in Europe. Efforts are also underway to resist this development.

Most software will become illegal to use in Europe if this dangerous directive is adopted without proper amending.

The European Commission and the Council of Ministers are covertly pushing for unlimited patentability of software, heavily lobbied by multinationals and patent lawyers. They are ignoring the democratically voted decision of the European Parliament from 24 september 2003, which has the support of more than 300.000 citizens, 2.000.000 SMEs, dozens of economists and scientists. There are calls for a webstrike in which sites will be closed down temporarily. I fully support this move, although I am not sure if it's possible with a blog and if it is how to go about doing it. Instead the best I can manage is this blurb (nicked shamelessly from Indymedia United Kollective's statement) and the banner below.

There will be a demonstration in the streets of Brussels on 14 April 2004.