
Logic Patents > Reviews > EuroParl 03-09-24 > Amendments > JURI > Reject > Harmonisation > Copyright
Harmonisation	TRIPs	Patent Eulogy	Copyright	Not Separate Law	Regional Competitiveness

Relations between Patent and Copyright

According to the Berne Convention and TRIPs, computer programs are "protected by copyright", i.e. the rules for property of achievements in the area of programming are those of copyright. The patent lobby has attempted to replace the copyright regime with a dual regime of copyright and patents where patents take the space that copyright, for good reasons, has left free. A recital from the Commission expresses this attempt, and several amendments try to correct it.

Amendment 201

submitted by:: Manuel Medina Ortega
provision:: rec 10
topic:: Copyright

amendment
De conformidad con la Directiva 91/250/CEE del Consejo, de 14 de mayo de 1991, sobre la protección jurídica de los programas de ordenador, cualquier forma de expresión de un programa de ordenador original estará protegida por los derechos de autor como obra literaria. No obstante, las ideas y principios en los que se basa cualquiera de los elementos de un programa de ordenador no están protegidos por los derechos de autor.	De conformidad con la Directiva 91/250/CEE del Consejo, de 14 de mayo de 1991, sobre la protección jurídica de los programas de ordenador, la propiedad en los programas de ordenador se adquiere mediante derechos reservados. Las ideas y los principios generales sobre las que se basa un programa de ordenador deben ser utilizables libremente, de modo que los diferentes creadores puedan obtener simultáneamente la propiedad en creaciones individuales basadas en ellas.
justification
Los derechos reservados no sólo se aplican a los trabajos literarios, sino también a los libros de texto, manuales de operación, programas de ordenador y todas las clases de estructuras de información. Los derechos reservados son el sistema de "propiedad intelectual" para programas de ordenador y no son solamente un sistema para un aspecto lateral o "literario" de los programas de ordenador. Si los derechos reservados no cubren la "idea subyacente" de un libro o de un programa, no se trata de una indicación de una insuficiencia de derechos reservados sino de la necesidad de mantener libres las "ideas subyacentes" o conceptos generales, de modo que diversos creadores tengan ocasión de obtener la propiedad mediante trabajos individuales basados en éstos conceptos generales.

Amendment 202

submitted by:: Barbara Kudrycka, Tadeusz Zwiefka
provision:: rec 10
language:: English
topic:: Copyright

amendment
In accordance with Council Directive 91/250/EEC of 14 May 1991 on the legal protection of computer programs, the expression in any form of an original computer program is protected by copyright as a literary work. However, ideas and principles which underlie any element of a computer program are not protected by copyright.	In accordance with Council Directive 91/250/EEC of 14 May 1991 on the legal protection of computer programs, property in computer programs is acquired by copyright. General ideas and principles which underlie a computer program must stay freely usable, so that many different creators may simultaneously obtain property in individual creations based thereon.
justification
Copyright does not only apply to literary works, but also to textbooks, operation manuals, computer programs and all kinds of information structures. Copyright is the system of "intellectual property" for computer programs, not only a system for a "literary" side aspect of computer programs. If copyright does not cover the "underlying idea" of a book or a program then that is not an indication of an insufficiency of copyright but rather an indication of the need to keep "underlying ideas" (general concepts) free, so that many different creators have a chance to obtain property in individual works based on these general concepts.

Amendment 203

submitted by:: Fausto Bertinotti
provision:: rec 10
language:: English
topic:: Copyright

amendment
In accordance with Council Directive 91/250/EEC of 14 May 1991 on the legal protection of computer programs, the expression in any form of an original computer program is protected by copyright as a literary work. However, ideas and principles which underlie any element of a computer program are not protected by copyright.	In accordance with Council Directive 91/250/EEC of 14 May 1991 on the legal protection of computer programs, property in computer programs is acquired by copyright. General ideas and principles which underlie a computer program must stay freely usable, so that many different creators may simultaneously obtain property in individual creations based thereon.
justification
Copyright does not only apply to literary works, but also to textbooks, operation manuals, computer programs and all kinds of information structures. Copyright is the system of "intellectual property" for computer programs, not only a system for a "literary" side aspect of computer programs. If copyright does not cover the "underlying idea" of a book or a program then that is not an indication of an insufficiency of copyright but rather an indication of the need to keep "underlying ideas" (general concepts) free, so that many different creators have a chance to obtain property in individual works based on these general concepts.

Amendment 204

submitted by:: Evelin Lichtenberger, Monica Frassoni
provision:: rec 10
language:: English
topic:: Copyright

amendment
In accordance with Council Directive 91/250/EEC of 14 May 1991 on the legal protection of computer programs, the expression in any form of an original computer program is protected by copyright as a literary work. However, ideas and principles which underlie any element of a computer program are not protected by copyright.	In accordance with Council Directive 91/250/EEC of 14 May 1991 on the legal protection of computer programs, the expression in any form of an original computer program is protected by copyright as a literary work. However, ideas and principles which underlie any element of a computer program are not protected by copyright, because they are algorithms which are comparable to mathematical methods or methods of presenting information.
justification
Rules for designing programs cannot be patentable as they are comparable to mathematical proofs.

[ The Need for Harmonisation | Meaning of TRIPs | What Patents are Good for | Relations between Patent and Copyright | Not a separate body of law | Strengthening EU in International Competition ]

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© 2005-06-12 Hartmut PILCH
english version 2005-03-20 by Hartmut PILCH