At the Moment, the European Union works on a directive 
which would enforce software and business method 
patentability in Europe and would even make direct claims 
on computer programs enforceable. 

This directive, widely criticized by politicians and by 
most I.T. firms, would only give power to very big players 
such as Philips, Microsoft or IBM. Small or medium 
entreprises in Europe would be doomed by patent 
ligitations, and "intellectual property terrorism" 
organized by intellectual property groups.

If software patents are accepted in Europe, all 
developpers, including free software developpers, will not 
be free anymore. They will be tied to big companies. They 
won't have anymore the ability to decide or to create.

If software patents are accepted in Europe, programs like 
HTTrack will be the target of big firms or intellectual 
property groups. HTTrack already "infringes" several 
identified patents, trivial patents. But fighting trivial 
patents requires money, and power. And we don't have 
neither the money, nor the power.

We only have democracy. If the European Union is not 
a "Banana Republic", patents will be rejected. But the 
parliament needs our support against the lobbies.

That's why I will be in Brussels on Thursday Feb 17 to 
support our Parliament against the patent mafia.

Please support us:
<http://ffii.org/>

Xavier Roche
HTTrack, Author