Thank Poland for saving Europe from software patents

For years now, the forces of good in Europe have been fighting against reforms to EU patent laws that would allow software patents to be filed in Europe. Software patents have existed in the US for some time now, with disastrous results -- rather than encouraging innovation, these patents have been used by companies who produce nothing except lawsuits to shut down whole classes of technologies or to extort money from them.

There's no reasonable explanation for bringing software patents to Europe. The American experiment has been such a complete and utter failure, it's crystal-clear that software patents in Europe would be just as bad.

And the Euro-activists have won again and again, every battle, and the greedy jerks who support patents have strong-armed and cajoled the European Parliament into breaking its own rules to overturn the victories of the activists.

But at the very final moment, the Polish Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Information Technology stepped in and blocked the Patent Directive, taking it off the EU agenda (for now, anyway). It was an incredibly brave and important moment, one that will keep the European technology industry and the citizens who rely on it free and safe.

ThankPoland is a site that is collecting thank-yous for the Polish Undersecretary of State, particularily from the EU, but also from around the world. We owe him a debt of gratitude and it's an honor to thank him today. Link (Thanks, Crosbie!)