[Fsfe-ie] Charlie McCreevy speaking at software patent conference

[Teresa Hackett]

It seems as if Charlie McCreevy gave the keynote speech at today's
conference at the European Parliament. He's still Commissioner-designate, of
course, due to the Buttiglone affair, but it's unlikely his portfolio will
change. The FFII webcast not operational right now.

Teresa
-------------------

Check <http://tv.ffii.org/> to view the webcast of  'Regulating Knowledge:
Costs, Risks, and Models of Innovation'
<http://en.eu.ffii.org/sections/bxl0411/index/>, an event held in the
European Parliament tomorrow, Wednesday November 10. Sponsored by FFII,
MERIT, CEA-PME, the Greens/EFA in the EP, and OSI.


    Regulating Knowledge: Costs, Risks, and Models of Innovation


    Wednesday, 10 Nov 2004


      Location

European Parliament, Rue Wiertz, 1047 Brussels, Room ASP 1G3.


      Program

*Welcome address (9h15-9h20)*

Daniel Cohn-Bendit, co-president of the Greens/EFA in the EP

*Keynote (9h20-9h45)*

Charlie McCreevy, Commissioner for Internal Market and Services

*Panel 1 (09h45-11h00)
The Lisbon agenda, the economics of innovation, and patents on
knowledge-related processes*

/Policy regarding software patents is a critical element of the Lisbon
agenda, because software innovation is an important economic area. As an
enabling technology, software also determines how information and
knowledge is managed across all fields of innovation, and indeed in all
forms of business and commerce. This panel will examine what economists
know about patents and innovation, as well as the special issues related
to patents on software-implemented innovations./

*/Speakers:/*

    * Luc Soete, Director, Maastricht Economic Research Institute on
      Innovation and Technology, University of Maastricht
    * Jim Bessen, Boston University
    * Dietmar Harhoff, Director, Institute for Innovation Research,
      Technology Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Munich

*Panel 2 (11h15-12h30)
Bottom up economics: defending SMEs and the public interest*

/Despite the often heard argument that patents benefit small companies,
SMEs largely oppose software patents. This panel will examine the
economic problems of dealing with patents from an SME perspective. It
will look at new developments in the U.S. that show how patent holding
companies behave in the ICT sector./

*/Speakers:/*

    * Wendy Seltzer, Electronic Frontier Foundation
    * Stefan Zickgraf, Secretary General, CEA-PME
    * Rita Heimes, Director, University of Maine Technology Law Center

*Panel 3 (14h00-15h15)
New developments in patent practice: assessing the risks and cost of
portfolio licensing and hold-ups*

/The proliferation of software patent lawsuits has focused attention on
the risks that patents pose to software developers and users. Open
source and Free Software are often named as the most endangered
entities, but small firms, non-profit institutions and public interest
groups are all confronted with this issue. This panel will focus on how
they are addressing this challenge./

*/Speakers:/*

    * Dan Ravicher, Public Patent Foundation
    * Bruce Perens, Perens LLC/OSRM
    * Jonas Maebe, FFII

*Panel 4 (15h30-16h45)
Informing and reforming patent policy*

/There is widespread agreement that getting patent policy right is
important to economic growth, yet there are no mechanisms in place for
monitoring how the system is performing in practice. The controversies
surrounding the software patent directive and the community patent
suggest that existing institutions and political processes may not be up
to the task of developing a sound patent policy. This panel will examine
options for making the European patent system more accountable in terms
of economic outcomes./

*/Speakers:/*

    * Brian Kahin, University of Michigan, formerly White House Office
      of Science and Technology Policy
    * Marianne van der Steen, Technical University of Delft, formerly
      Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs
    * Susana Borras, University of Roskilde

*Conclusion (16h45-17h00)*


    EIF Conference on Computer Implemented Inventions (17h00-22h30)

The EIF (European Internet Foundation) organises a panel discussion on
Patentability of Computer Implemented Inventions
<http://www.eifonline.org/site/index.cfm?TID=1&BID=16&SID=1&LG=2&ART=46&back
=47>,
chaired by Erika Mann MEP. This event will take place in the Hotel
Renaissance, 19 Rue du Parnasse, Brussels. Registration for this event
is directly via EIF. Send an email with your name and affiliation to
secretariat at EIFonline.org, or have a look at their website
<http://www.eifonline.org/site/index.cfm?TID=1&BID=16&SID=1&LG=2&ART=46&back
=47>
for more information.