Matthew Broersma

European parliamentarians have put forward a list of more than 200 amendments to the European Unions proposed legislation on IT patents, which, if approved, would dramatically change the character of the controversial proposal. At stake is whether the EU will bring in more permissive rules on software patents, bringing it into line with patent practices […]

Apple Computer Inc. has debuted version 4.8 of its iTunes music-playing application, which adds support for a few new features and fixes a serious security vulnerability. The update is Apples third serious security fix in as many weeks, following a combined update last week repairing 20 bugs, and an April patch for OS X and […]

The European Commission is running out of patience with Microsoft Corp. over its lack of full compliance with antitrust remedies meted out a year ago, the Commission said on Wednesday. European Union Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, the successor to Mario Monti, met with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Tuesday to discuss the remedies, but didnt […]

The European Parliament on Thursday held a major debate on the European Unions proposed IT patenting legislation, exposing divisions that will make it difficult for Members of European Parliament to make changes to the controversial proposal. At stake is whether the EU will bring in more permissive rules on software patents, bringing it into line […]

The Free Software Foundation Europe says it is planning to take a more active role in ensuring that Microsoft adequately complies with the European Unions antitrust remedies, the organization said on Wednesday. “We are feeling the likelihood that Microsoft will come up with something useful is less than zero,” said Carlo Piana, a partner with […]

A French appeals court ruling against Google Inc. last week could mean more legal trouble for the companys AdWords advertising program, said a specialist in IT law. The Versailles Court of Appeals upheld an October 2003 judgment in a decision published on Wednesday, ordering Google to stop allowing the linking of advertisements to search terms […]

European open-source developers say the European Commissions rejection of Microsofts protocol-licensing plan is a positive sign. But they say the commission will have to demand substantial changes to the plan if it wants to bring real competition back to the workgroup server market. The commission said Thursday that it was not satisfied with Microsofts proposed […]

Irish open-source advocates are doing their part to combat software patents in the European Union with a briefing document distributed just in time to give Irelands 16 Members of European Parliament some light reading material over St. Patricks Day. The document, timed to reach MEPs on Wednesday, was created in response to members own queries […]

A Luxembourg court has granted nine parties the right to participate in Microsofts ongoing antitrust case between the software company and the European Competition Commission. Meanwhile, one of the key remedies imposed on Microsoft by the commission, the introduction of a stripped-down Windows, is on hold while the commission evaluates new proposals for the softwares […]

The BSA has called for reform to Europes patent system, in the same week that Microsoft put forward a U.S. patent reform plan and called for harmonization among international patent regimes. The Business Software Alliance Europe on Monday suggested a number of reforms designed largely to make it easier for SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) […]