EU patent proposals will hammer IT contractors – Alan Cox

Letters Barclays and GlaxoSmithKline's recent decision to slash contractor rates drew a large post-bag, including this observation from Linux kernel king Alan Cox.

IR35 and pay cuts are only two thirds of the hammer blows lined up for contractors. On the 4th of June the proposal for software patents in the EU is heard in the presence of the EU commission and Council, Alan Cox writes.

Should the big corporations force software patents into EU law it goes without saying that the Banks and other employers will be holding the contractors 100% liable for all patent lawsuits over anything they touched, just as in the USA. Expect to face huge premium hikes and also increased legal costs.

Tuesday 4 June 2002, morning
EP's HEMICYCLE - Kirchberg - Luxemburg
In the presence of the Council and Commission

2. Adoption of draft agenda PE 316.212

3. Chairman's announcements

4. Patentability of computer-implemented inventions (00/137 - RB) ***I T07732 -( COD020047 - COM(02)0092 - C5-0082/02 )

Rapporteur: Arlene McCARTHY
Consideration of working document
- Presentation of the study "The patentability of computer programmes" by DG IV
Opinion: ITRE A CULT A

http://www.europarl.eu.int/meetdocs/committees/juri/20020603/470143en.pdf

Aggrieved contracts can find Arlene McCarthy's contact details at http://wwwdb.europarl.eu.int/ep5/owa/whos_mep.data?ipid=0&ilg=EN&iucd=2173&ipolgrp=.&ictry=.&imode=&itempl=&ireturn=