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Arlene McCarthy, a member of the legal affairs committee responsible for choosing the amendments to the proposed law to be tabled at next month's plenary session, said she wasn't invited to the event. Joint organizers of the conference from the European Free Alliance, a free software lobbying group, said they did invite McCarthy but admit that the invitation wasn't sent until the beginning of this week. A spokesman for the Alliance said McCarthy was also invited to submit a statement which would have been read out to delegates, but she declined the offer. McCarthy's office said it did submit a statement but that it was never circulated at the conference. "It's not smart to snub the rapporteur on the lead committee responsible for guiding this debate. They won't have done themselves any favors by appearing to "disrespect" McCarthy," said one Parliament official who requested anonymity. Speaking from her office while the conference lunch was in full swing in the street below, McCarthy accused the conference organizers of not wanting to hold an open debate. She also said she will discard extreme amendments submitted by Green MEPs. "I won't accept amendments that exclude patentability per se," she said.