There is still time to lobby your MEPs. Please spare 5 minutes to send an email registering your concerns. The proposed directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions comes before the European Parliament later this month. Patenting of software is a threat to all business models, but especially Open Source (including Free) software. It also penalises software developers and users of all types of software.

Dan Bricklin (who invented the electronic spreadsheet in 1979 but did not patent it) explains why at http://www.bricklin.com/patentsandsoftware.htm

You can find MEP's email and letter post addresses at http://www.europarl.org.uk/uk_meps/MembersMain.htm

Other sources you may wish to draw on are

Alex Hudson's useful site: http://www.softwarepatents.co.uk/

Analogy with music for non-techie people: http://www.coolscience.co.uk/free-software/software-patent-music.html

Illustration of the infamous "technical effect" criterion: http://coolscience.co.uk/free-software/software-patent-techeffect.html

European Parliament written question E3927/02 and answer. MEPs will be reassured but you might not be: http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/OM-Europarl?PROG=WQ&L=EN&PUBREF=-//E...

If you are keen, the proposed directive COM (2002) 091:http://europa.eu.int/cgi-bin/eur-lex/udl.pl?REQUEST=Seek-Deliver&COLLECT...

Paper on Open Source and software patents http://eu.conecta.it/paper/Open_source_software_patent.html

Cheers,

Chris