UK Labour and Software Patents

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• "IP expert" McCarthy changeable - as rapporteur, entirely pro-Council, but more recently, criticising Council for ignoring Parliament and so on.

• some !MEPs unhappy with McCarthy, but as obedient to Westminster as McCarthy herself

• science & innovation minister Lord Sainsbury may possibly be persuaded to support parliament wording on "technical contribution", taking a keen interest but very close to UK Patent Family, who blame all problems on a few rogue examiners

• more tightly centralised party apparatus than in most other parties
• pro-patent lobbying within European Socialist Group

• David Taylor MP strongly criticised government's software patent policy in Commons 2004-06-07 debate.