[Fsfe-ie] Irish presidency brochure on Competitiveness priorities

[James Heald]

Mary Harney has given a speech launching a brochure on
Ireland's priorities for the Competitiveness council:

http://dbs.cordis.lu/cgi-bin/srchidadb?CALLER=NHP_EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=EN_RCN_ID:21416

The brochure itself (16 page pdf) is at
http://www.eu2004.ie/templates/document_file.asp?id=2054

Two, almost identical, instances of the word 'software',
page 6:

> A knowledge-based economy must have effective
> instruments and laws to protect and promote
> investment in research and innovation. The
> enforcement of intellectual property rights, a
> common regime for the community patent,
> community trade mark regulations, and the
> *protection of software inventions* form an important
> underpinning to the research and knowledge-based
> economy. We will ensure that progress is made in
> these areas, which play an essential part in
> supporting our adjustment to new and higher value
> economic activities.

and page 12:

> A knowledge-based economy must have effective instruments and laws to protect and promote investment in
> research and innovation. A harmonised approach to enforcement of intellectual property rights, EU wide
> protection of patents afforded by a community patent, and the *protection of software inventions*, form an
> important underpinning of the research and knowledge-based economy. We will ensure that progress is made
> on these areas which play an essential part in supporting our adjustment to new and higher value economic
> activities. The Community Patent is important for European industry and must be available to firms at
> reasonable cost. The Irish Presidency will make every effort to ensure its adoption. With a view to completing
> the internal market in the area of intellectual property rights, an important initiative is the Directive on
> enforcement which aims to harmonise enforcement measures in respect of those IP rights which have already
> been substantively harmonised at Community level. It is the intention of the Irish Presidency to make every
> effort to achieve a common position within the Council on this initiative.


Is this a new linguistic formula to look out for, emphasising the
"protection" of software inventions, and leaving carefully blurred the
question of whether this requires "patent protection" or "copyright
protection" ?

Perhaps if we have a friendly Irish journalist they could try to find
out for us ?


All best,

    James.