Last week Marc Verwilghen, the Belgian minister of economics and energy, even told his country's Parliament that the text would not be adopted by the Council this year "for the reason that the qualified majority no longer exists." (His comments can be found on page 14 of this document [PDF].)

A Rochester, N.Y., jury found Friday that Sun infringed on Kodak's patents when it created Java and released the technology in 1995. Kodak is based in Rochester and is the city's largest employer. (...)
 
Sun denied that it infringed on the Kodak patents during a three-week trial, and it will likely appeal the judgment.

Enfin, la demande d'un milliard de $, c'est du n'importe quoi absolu.

Polaroid Corp. v. Eastman Kodak Co.  
U.S. District Court District of Massachusetts
Decided October 12, 1990  
No. 76-1634-MA  
 
Action by Polaroid Corp. against Eastman Kodak Co. for patent infringement. Following entry of judgment against defendant, damages are now awarded.  
 
Prior decisions: 228 USPQ 305, 229 USPQ 561, 5 USPQ2d 1080.  
 
(...)
 
XI. CONCLUSIONS AND AWARD
 
1. Kodak's infringement of any one or more of the patents in suit was not willful and deliberate.  
 
2. In accordance with 35 U.S.C. 284, the amount of damages adequate to compensate Polaroid for Kodak's infringement is $454,205,801.00. The prejudgment and postjudgment interest award to date is $455,251,766.00. The total award is $909,457,567.00.

In 1990 Polaroid secured an $925 million judgment and Kodak was driven from the instant photography business. Ironically, on the day that Kodak's last furious appeal was exhausted, Polaroid's stock fell six-and-a-half points, while Kodak's went up almost four points. The reason: analysts had expected Polaroid to win more money than it actually did.

Un exemple supplémentaire qui démontre que les brevets logiciels, c'est en train de pourrir complètement l'industrie informatique. Ca avantage les gens sans scrupules et ça provoque des conflits inutiles et ruineux et ça empêche la création.

Ceci dit, ironiquement, ça fera peut-être réfléchir leur directeur, qui la veille de la mise en cause par Kodak, écrivait un plaidoyer pour les brevets logiciels sur son blog.

Enfin, la demande d'un milliard de $, c'est du n'importe quoi absolu.
Pas n'importe quoi mais exagéré sans aucun doute. Le système US n'est pas le même qu'en Europe, également en ce qui concerne le calcul des dédommagements.
 
Et puis le myard ça doit rappeler des souvenirs à Kodak:
 
[quote]Polaroid Corp. v. Eastman Kodak Co.  
U.S. District Court District of Massachusetts
Decided October 12, 1990  
No. 76-1634-MA  

N'inversons pas les rôles stp: ça signifie que les enjeux économiques de la contrefaçon par des personnes sans scrupules sont énormes.

The deliberations concerns the following A items (without discussion) :
(...)
− Adoption of the Common position adopted by the Council with a view to the adoption of a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions

EU Council of Ministers to take another stab at Software Patent Directive
Déjà vu in Brussels: According to statements by members of the government of Luxembourg and the EU Commission the Ministers of Agriculture in their meeting of the EU Council of Agriculture and Fisheries on Monday are to give the nod to the controversial position of the EU Council of Ministers on the Directive on the Patentability of "computer-implemented inventions". Shortly before Christmas the then Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union had already put the position that had been provisionally agreed upon in May of last year by the experts after extensive debate on the agenda of a meeting of these other experts on matters of agriculture. To everyone's surprise Poland's Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Information Technology Wlodzimierz Marcinski had at the time forced a postponement of the official decision. The period of reconsideration demanded by the undersecretary having now apparently past without there being a new result, the Luxembourgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union seems to be keen to rid itself once and for all of this irksome legacy.  
 
That the matter would be settled for good next Monday, Luxembourg´s Economics Minister Jeannot Krecke for one announced at a meeting of the European Parliament's Legal Committee this Wednesday. Moreover, the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) reports that the principle architect of the original draft of the directive David Ellard of the European Commission's Industrial Property Unit has corroborated the date at an event in Slovenia promoting "intellectual property."
 
In order to galvanize the opponents of software patents the FFII now once again intends to launch its call upon Germany's Federal Minister of Agriculture Renate Künast from the ruling Green Party that she demand as she is theoretically entitled to do at any time that the item on the software patent decision be struck off the agenda. The critics of software patents are pointing especially to a Party Conference Resolution of the Green Party of October of last year in which the party firmly rejected software patents. Besides the Dutch Parliament all parliamentary groups of Germany's Federal Parliament have voiced unanimous opposition to the line taken by the EU Council of Ministers. (Stefan Krempl) / (Robert W. Smith) / (jk/c't)

La procédure de codécision, qui place le Parlement européen aux côtés du Conseil, en tant qu’organe législatif, devient la procédure législative ordinaire. 95% des lois européennes seront adoptées conjointement par le Conseil et le Parlement européen.

Le Parlement européen doit désormais examiner le texte «de position commune» en deuxième lecture.

En gros: si tu veux que ce soient les MPE que tu élis toi-même qui décident (et ils sont majoritairement contre les brevets), il vaut mieux voter OUI à la constitution.

EU-Rat will weitere Auszeit bei Softwarepatenten zulassen
 
Die luxemburgische Ratspräsidentschaft hat sich nach Informationen aus Diplomatenkreisen dazu bereit erklärt, die geplante offizielle Verabschiedung der umstrittenen Position des Ministergremiums zur Richtlinie über die Patentierbarkeit "computerimplementierter Erfindungen" noch einmal um eine Woche zu verschieben. Statt vom Agrar- und Fischereirat am Montag soll der im Mai unter Mühen festgezurrte Standpunkt demnach am 31. Januar im Rat für Allgemeine Fragen und Außenbeziehungen abgenickt werden. Von der weiteren Verzögerung könnten vor allem die Befürworter eines völligen Neustarts des nun fast seit drei Jahren laufenden Gesetzgebungsverfahrens im EU-Parlament profitieren.  
 
Einmal mehr hat die polnische Regierung Druck auf die Luxemburger gemacht. So verschwand der avisierte Punkt nach Auskunft deutscher Ministeriumsvertreter am gestrigen Freitagmittag von der Agenda des Agrarrates. Mehr als eine Woche Aufschub wollte die Ratspräsidentschaft den Polen aber nicht zugestehen. In dem neuen Beitrittsland hatte sich im Lauf der Woche das EU-Komitee der Regierung nachdrücklich für eine Verschiebung eingesetzt, da die Position Polens zum bisherigen Ratsstandpunkt noch nicht endgültig abgestimmt sei.
 
Der europäische Hightech-Branchenverband EICTA, dem Konzerne wie Microsoft, Nokia, SAP oder Siemens angehören, reagierte enttäuscht auf die Fristverlängerung. Die "Unsicherheit" für Unternehmen werde nach den vielen Monaten der Behandlung des Richtlinienvorschlags nun noch weiter andauern, hieß es bei EICTA. Die Industrie benötige den erweiterten Patentschutz für echte, Software einsetzende Erfindungen dringend. Ein Sprecher des Fördervereins für eine Freie Informationelle Infrastruktur (FFII) begrüßte die Gnadenfrist dagegen als "positiv".
 
Entscheidend sind laut Softwarepatentgegnern nun die weiteren Verhandlungen im Europaparlament zu einem Ausweg aus der festgefahrenen Situation. Im ständigen Hin und Her des Rats sieht Florian Müller, Manager der Kampagne NoSoftwarepatents.com, gar ein Zeichen dafür, dass das Ministergremium "förmlich um einen Neustart des Verfahrens bettelt". Diese "Einladung" müssten die Abgeordneten annehmen. Dies gelte vor allem für prominente Unionspolitiker im EU-Parlament, die bislang Bedenken gegen einen Neuanfang vorgebracht hatten, sagte Müller. Sie könnten als mit Abstand mächtigste Fraktion nun dem "unsäglichen" Ratstext "den Todesstoß versetzen". Sollte das Ministergremium Ende Januar tatsächlich öffentlich eine ablehnende Position beziehen, bliebe den Parlamentariern eine Frist bis zum Anfang der dann folgenden Plenarwoche am 21. Februar für die Beantragung eines Neubeginns. (Stefan Krempl) / (ad/c't)

Le conseil de l'UE veut permettre d'autres Auszeit avec des brevets de logiciel
 
la présidence du Conseil luxembourgeoise a conformément à des informations des milieux de diplomates se déclare encore prêt décaler l'adoption officielle prévue de la position contestée de l'instance de ministre à la directive sur le bar de brevetage d'"inventions computerimplementierter" autour d'une semaine . Au lieu du conseil de pêche et agricole lundi, le point de vue festgezurrte en mai sous des efforts doit devenir le 31 janvier dans le conseil pour des questions générales et des relations extérieures abgenickt par conséquent. Surtout les défenseurs d'un recommencement complet presque de la procédure législative courant depuis trois ans dans le parlement de l'UE pourraient maintenant profiter de de la poursuite du retard.  
 
Le gouvernement polonais a fait un fois de plus à la pression en Luxembourgeois. Ainsi, celui a disparu avisierte point après les renseignements de représentants de ministère allemands à midi de vendredi d'hier de l'ordre du jour du conseil agricole. Plus qu'une semaine le retard ne voulait toutefois pas reconnaître la présidence du Conseil Pologne. Le comité de l'UE du gouvernement avait soutenu au cours de la semaine énergiquement dans le nouveau pays candidat à l'adhésion un décalage, puisque la position de la Pologne n'est pas encore assortie définitivement au point de vue de conseil précédent.  
 
Le Hightech-Branchenverband EICTA européen, des groupements de sociétés comme Microsoft, des Nokia, SAP ou Siemens appartiennent, a réagi décevantement à la prolongation du délai. L'"insécurité" pour des entreprises persistera maintenant encore plus loin après beaucoup de mois du traitement de la proposition de directive, s'est appelé l'avec EICTA. L'industrie nécessite d'urgence la protection par brevet étendue pour véritable logiciel les inventions commençant. Un orateur de l'association de promotion pour un Informationelle infrastructure libre (FFII) a salué "positivement" le délai de faveur en revanche.
 
Conformément à des adversaires de brevet de logiciel, les autres négociations dans le Parlement européen concernant une issue de la situation festgefahrenen sont maintenant cruciales. Dans le constant, le Florian Mueller, voit en avant et en arrière le conseil directeurs de la campagne NoSoftwarepatents.com, un signe de ce que l'instance de ministre "bettelt formellement autour d'un recommencement de la procédure". Les représentants devraient accepter cette "invitation". Cela vaut surtout pour les politiciens de l'Union proéminents dans le parlement de l'UE qui avaient énoncé vers un nouveau départ jusqu'ici des doutes, a dit Mueller. Ils pourraient maintenant déplacer "l'impact de décès" comme de loin distance la fraction la plus puissante le texte de conseil "indicible". Si l'instance de ministre devait renvoyer en effet publiquement fin janvier une position négative, un délai jusqu'au début de la semaine plénière suivant alors resterait aux parlementaires le 21 février pour la demande d'un nouveau départ. (Stefan Krempl)/(ad/c't)

WITH YET ANOTHER COUNCIL DELAY,  
JURI IS STILL OUT ON SOFTWARE PATENTS
 
Poland requests another delay of the adoption of the EU Council's common position on a software patent directive -- JURI (legal affairs committee of the European Parliament) may ask for restart of entire legislative process next week  
 
Brussels (24 January 2005). At the request of Poland, the EU Council once again postponed the adoption of a so-called common position on a software patent directive, which had been planned for today. That new delay opens a window of opportunity for JURI, the legal affairs committee of the European Parliament, to restart the hotly contested legislative process. JURI will meet in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday of next week (February 2nd and 3rd), and will decide on requesting a restart of the entire legislative process. According to anti-software-patent campaigners, there is a good chance that a majority of JURI members will vote for a restart, and support is said to be broadening.  
 
Florian Müller, campaign manager of NoSoftwarePatents.com, calls on supporters to contact their MEPs and "launch an all-out offensive for the restart because it is by far and away the best chance to prevent the legalization of software patents in the EU. In fact, it may be our only realistic chance. This is the moment of truth."  
 
The NoSoftwarePatents.com campaign published a "restart lobbying guide" that tells citizens how they can influence the upcoming JURI decision:  
http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/docs/050124guide.pdf  
 
If the EU Council had gone ahead with its original plan, the window for a restart under Rule 55 of the EP's Rules of Procedure would have closed during a "mini-plenary" session of the EP this week. The EP can request a restart until the Council's "common position" is announced by the president of the EP. Under Rule 57 of the EP's Rules of Procedure, such announcement must take place in a plenary session. The next Council meeting after today will be on Monday, 31 January, and even if the Council finally adopted its position then, there would be no more plenary session in the EP until the week of 21 February.  
 
If JURI calls for a restart, the consent of the Conference of Presidents of the EP may additionally be required on 17 February. In the CoP, the chairpersons of the parliamentary groups are represented and vote by group size. After a favorable JURI decision, no plenary vote would be required. However, many MEPs believe that the plenary could alternatively take the decision if JURI failed to do so. A motion to that effect was signed by 61 MEPs from 13 different countries in December, among them three vice presidents of the EP.  
 
NoSoftwarePatents.com also thanked the Polish government for its second intervention in the Council process. Tens of thousands of people from all over the world have already expressed their gratitude to Poland on Web site http://thankpoland.info after a member of the Polish cabinet personally flew to Brussels on 21 December to request that the software patent directive be removed from the agenda.  
 
Last week, the mayor of Munich and a vocal opponent of software patents, publicly declared that he would consider a restart of the process a very desirable option:  
http://www.muenchen.de/Rathaus/dir [...] 12005.html  
 
The city administration of Munich made headline news with its Linux migration project, which was temporarily suspended last summer over patent-related concerns.  
 
UK MEPs on JURI Committee  
 
The UK has two full members in JURI, and two substitutes. The full members are Theresa Villiers of the Conservatives, and Diana Wallis of the Liberal Democrats. The two substitutes, Arlene McCarthy (Labour) and Malcolm Harbour (Tories), already formed a pro-patent duo in the EP's first reading on the directive.  
 
According to NoSoftwarePatents.com's Florian Müller, "we'll be lucky if even one British MEP supports the restart in JURI. It would be the best for almost every UK company that produces or uses software, but an MEP like Malcolm Harbour is much closer to some non-British large corporations than to his own electorate." He recommended to UK voters to primarily contact London's MEP Theresa Villiers because "her voting record shows that she took a moderate position in the 1st reading compared to most other Tories". In NoSoftwarePatent.com's lobbying guide, voters are cautioned that Graham Watson, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the EP, is rumored to have been persuaded by Microsoft to oppose a restart of the process.  
 
About the NoSoftwarePatents.com Campaign  
 
The NoSoftwarePatents.com campaign was launched on October 20th and is supported by three IT companies (1&1, Red Hat, and MySQL AB). The views expressed by the campaign are those of the campaign manager and not necessarily those of the aforementioned companies.  
 
Through Web content in 17 languages, the campaign addresses a pan-European audience. More information on the campaign is available on its Website.  
 
Contact Information  
 
For further information concerning this announcement or the NoSoftwarePatents.com campaign, please contact:  
 
Florian Mueller  
Campaign Manager, NoSoftwarePatents.com  
telephone +49 (8151) 651850  
press@nosoftwarepatents.com

Heise is reporting (in German) that the JURI (legal division of the European Parliament who tend to be more pro-EPO) have voted to invoke Rule 55 for a total restart of the software patents process (going back through the anti-swpat Parliament with a totally new directive) following attempts by the EC to get their directive through by the back door. This is an important victory for democracy and it means we can no longer say that the JURI is out.