They are only bound by the European Patent Convention.
He also authored the first edition of a well-known commentary on the European Patent Convention.
We have a legal basis in the form of the European Patent Convention.
If we had arrived at a conclusion based on the European Patent Convention in this matter, you would have my full support.
Changing them in contradiction with the European Patent Convention would, however, simply cause confusion.
The legal framework is clear: Article 52 of the European Patent Convention states that software as such cannot be patented.
The European Patent Convention will continue to apply for them.
The current system under the European Patent Convention is better.
At the moment the European Patent Convention draws a clear line between inventions and living material.
This constituted the first revision of the European Patent Convention since its signature in 1973.