"STRASBOURG, France (AP) - The European Parliament overwhelmingly rejected a
proposed law Wednesday to create a single way of patenting software across the
European Union, calling instead for comprehensive rules for granting patents
to inventions in all fields.

The vote, 648-14 with 18 abstentions, was a defeat for big companies, which
had pushed hard for adoption of the bill. Businesses as well as free software
advocates had engaged in massive lobbying campaigns."

<http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.asp?Feed=AP&Date=20050706&ID=4905885>

Huzzah!