Re: BCA CCG Circular message on Software Patents

There was something on slashdot about this today:
http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/03/09/22/1051255.shtml

...which links to the proposal from the EU:
http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade2?SAME_LEVEL=1&LEVEL=4&NAV=X&PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+REPORT+A5-2003-0238+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN

Quoting:
"(13c)   Furthermore, an algorithm is inherently non-technical and
therefore cannot constitute a technical invention. Nonetheless, a
method involving the use of an algorithm might be patentable provided
that the method is used to solve a technical problem. However, any
patent granted for such a method would not monopolise the algorithm
itself or its use in contexts not foreseen in the patent."

Does this alleviate some fears? It seems like an algorithm would have
to be specifically applied to crystallography before a patent could be
enforced. I don't think it is new news.

Cheers,

Jon

> First of all, I'd like to apologize for the non-CCG specific nature of
> this e-mail; it concerns the proposed legislation by the European
> Parliament which would legalize the patenting of software within the EU
> (this is a quite different process to that of copyrighting software).