The EU council has circulated a "compromise" counter-proposal to the decision made by the EU parliament last year on the patentability of software. Calling it a "compromise" is highly desceptive; it's much worse than the original. But they press on, and it looks as if they will get through with it: <http://swpat.ffii.org/news/04/cons0129/index.en.html> -- Herman Robak