2004-12-14 UK DTI Question and Answer Meeting

In early november, the UK government - Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) - invited those concerned citizens who, by writing letters to their members of Parliament, questioned the government's policy on software patents and on the planned EU directive. A row erupted before the meeting, because leading critics had not been invited. At the meeting, most of the time was used for allowing the UK Patent Office people to present their case. Yet, according to some reports, the backers of the European Parliament's Counter-Proposal were able promote their case fairly well. It became evident that the Council's version lacks clarity and does not exclude from patentability the types of patents which the UKPO officials professed they wanted to exclude.

News & Chronology

2005-01-30 UK UKPO:Transcript of the 14 December 2004 DTI meeting on the software patents directive
2004-12-15 UK ZDNet.co.uk: UK companies see perils in software patents
2004-12-15 UK ZDNet.co.uk: Developers angry over software patent 'evasion'
2004-02-15 UK ZDNet.co.uk: We need more penguin suits
2004-12-15 UK VNUNet: Whitehall denies backing US-style software patents
2004-12-14 UK VNUNet: Lord Sainsbury backs EU patent directive
2004-12-14 EU ZDNet.co.uk: Patent campaigners make government breakthrough
2004-12-14 UK The Register: the UK Patent Office pleads its case (UKPO: "Clarity will only come from the first test case in a European court")
2004-12-14 UK UKPO: Government says "no" to US software patent model
2004-12-14 Meeting at DTI Conference Centre, 1 Victoria Street, 9.30am - 12 noon
2004-12-08 UK ZDNet.co.uk: Linux Kernel maintainer 'barred' from patents meeting (-> UK DTI Meeting 12/2004)
2004-12-07 UK ZDNet.co.uk: Public meeting on patents excludes anti-patent campaigners
2004-11-30 Official Deadline for invitees to reply and register
2004-11-10 Slashdot: UK Gov't EU Software Patents Public Meeting
2004-11-09 The Register: UK.gov meets and greets anti-patent lobby
2004-11-09 Copy of the invitation
2004-11-09 FSFE-UK
2004-11-09 Groklaw: ... more about Patents; also here

Location

[ Multimap | Streetmap ]

Timetable

Tuesday 14 December 2004

9.30	Registration and coffee
10.00	Welcome and opening remarks	Peter Lawrence	Director of Policy The Patent Office
10.10	The Government's Perspective	Lord Sainsbury of Turville	Minister for Science and Innovation
10.20	Presentation on the Directive	Peter Hayward	Divisional Director of Patents, Patent Office
11.00	Questions and Answers	Chaired by Peter Lawrence
12.00	Close

Note: the meeting is open to those the DTI has contacted only. Space is limited. Registration closes 30 November.

General Info

Scratch page for possible lines of questioning.
Details and Registration for related FFII meetings/activity.