
Software Patents > Players > Janelly Fourtou
Arlene McCarthy	Janelly Fourtou	Joachim Wuermeling	Malcolm Harbour	Willy Rothley

Janelly Fourtou MEP and Software Patents

Janelly Fourtou, member of the European Parliament, French Conservative, has actively promoted software and business method patents in Europe, while pretending that she was "only restating the current law". Fourtou in particular used every opportunity to push for legalisation of program claims (e.g. "a program, characterised by that upon loading into memory some computing process is executed"), which the European Commission had suggested not to allow. Jean-René Fourtou, husband of Janelly, former top manager of Aventis (pharma), is currently the CEO of Vivendi Universal. Vivendi is involved in cooperation negotiations with Microsoft. In 2002/12 J-R became the head of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), an organisation with a very active patent arm (IP Commission) which is lobbying for expansion of the patent system worldwide. In 2003, Fourtou became the rapporteur of a new IP enforcement directive, which, if enacted according to Fourtou's proposal, may allow the Fourtou family to earn many thousands of EUR by suing people, either on the grounds of patents or copyright. This directive proposal is once again based on documents from BSA and once again claims to be "only harmonising the status quo". Fourtou finds the proposed measures still not draconian enough.

Mr Fourtou a été nommé en décembre 2002 président de la chambre internationale du commerce (ICC - International Chamber of Commerce). Cette organisation pousse très fort pour le système des brevets et nie catégoriquement toute relation entre la difficulté pour les pays africains à accéder aux médicaments et les brevets protégeants ces médicaments. uscib-fourtou02

IFPI/McCarthy/Fourtou campaign for IP Enforcement successful
Proposition de directive sur la protection de la propriété intellectuelle COM (2003) 46(01): La Commission Européenne a proposé une directive qui donne aux propriétaires de droits d'auteur, de brevets et d'autres type de droit d'exclusion des pouvoirs plus importants pour poursuivre en justice les contrevenants. La directive est défendue au sein du Parlement Européen par la MPE Janelly Fourtou (femme du pdg de Vivendi) et énergiquement soutenue par la MPE Arlene McCarthy et d'autres. Des groupes de liberté civile sont inquiets que la proposition, en accordant de grands pouvoirs aux titulaires des droits d'exclusion et en négligeant les inquiétudes des droits civils et publics, puisse créer divers effets pervers.
USCIB: Fourtou Chairman of ICC: Jean-René Fourtou of Vivendi Universal elected ICC Chairman. ... As WTO officials meet to discuss drug patents and health crises in poor countries, ICC says inadequate financing and poor infrastructure, not the patent system, are the main culprit.
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Software Patents: ICC's "Intellectual Property Committee", consisting of 240 corporate "IP professionals" from around the world, headed by Urho Ilmonen, Vice-President Legal of Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd, has vigorously defended the interests of the patent community in Europe. Their letters and statements are characterised by "strong belief" in the beneficiality of patents and disregard for the opinions not only of most ICC member companies but also of national member organisations such as the German Chamber of Commerce, which has pronounced itself against software patents and against the directive proposal.
European Parliament and Software Patents: The European Parliament has less rights than a national parliament. Most importantly, it cannot itself propose legislation and it has only a negative voting power that again cannot block all EU legislation projects. However it has the right to block the CEC/BSA software patentability directive proposal, and it has used this right in September 2003.
Arlene McCarthy MEP and Software Patents: Parts of the Labour party and electorate of Arlene McCarthy's district are asking to have her replaced. McCarthy responds by pointing to her affiliation with the regional venture capital scene (= patent movement) and claiming merits in bringing special EU funds to her regions.