That is because of the european patent organisation! There are some differents between the european and the USpatent-law: In the USA the person who asks the first for a patent on something gets it. Not so in Europe! Here only the person who invented some thing at first can get the patent.atomix wrote:However, widespread protests from critics of the measures have succeeded in pulling much of the sting from the proposed regulations. A compromise resolution passed by MEPs features numerous amendments, the most important of which limits the scope of software patents to "true inventions".
Example: If I'm planing lifting sunken ships by pumping ping-pong balls into it I can get the patent for this method in the USA because I'm the first who asked for this patent. In Europe I can't get it because Micky Mouse did so in the early sixtys.
And again: The EU has NOT the right to change the patent-laws! This is up to the european patent organisation with all his 27 members (get a list)!
The european patent organisation has absoluty nothing to do with the european union!
Only these members have the right to change anything on the patentlaw in europe! And for those heavy changes a 3/4 majority is nessesary!