THE wave of absurdly obvious patents on business methods that has engulfed
the US looks like washing up on Europe’s shores.
European ministers meet in Munich next week to ratify a plan that would allow
the European Patent Office to grant patents on software that could implement
common-sense ways of working. The move could mean that European businesses could
be sued for using established practices that have been newly
patented—often in the guise of computerised schemes that lend themselves
to e-commerce.
Since a court case in July 1998 ruled in favour of patenting business
methods, the US has been…
