This report is the
result of a short-term study commissioned by the
European Parliament on the desirability of EC level
legislation in the area of software patents. It is based
on a comparative analysis of the present state of the
law, and the advantages and disadvantages appearing from
current practice in the EC Member States, the United
States and Japan. While its principal focus is on
software patents, the report also includes commentary on
the patenting of "business methods", as
patents in this area are closely related to software
patents.
