From http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/75560

In their recent plenary session, EU parliamentarians have voiced their support for an open information society. A text adopted by a majority of the EU parliament to implement the Lisbon program of the European Community under the motto “More research and innovation – investing for growth and employment” aims, among other things, to send a signal to the EU commission, which is constantly expanding intellectual property rights to the benefit of rights holders. The parliamentarians countered that the concept of “Open Innovation” is the best way to increase investments in research and development and attain the Lisbon goals. In these goals, the EU Plans to become the most competitive, dynamic
economic area in the world by 2010.

Specifically, the parliamentarians point out that a “user-friendly system of intellectual property protection” should be created in a knowledge-based society. Free access to public goods and knowledge should not be inhibited, they argue, by copyrights, trademarks, and patents. The parliamentarians call on the Commission to “promote a socially inclusive knowledge-based society.” Support for free software and its major license concepts, such as the GNU General Public License (GPL) and the Public Documentation License (PDL) should be provided to this end.

In its resolution, the EU Parliament also believes that an “integrated” community patent should be created. It would be based on “democratic legal standards” and be part of a general innovation strategy. In turn, this strategy would specify that a balance between commercial property rights, on the one hand, and the dissemination of technical knowledge and free, uninhibited competition, on the other, should be ensured. Here, the peoples’ representatives point out that the purpose of patents is to protect inventions, not control market sectors.