On July 6, 2005, the European Parliament overwhelmingly rejected a proposal for an EU software patent directive, but on January 16, 2006, the European Commission published a consultation paper. After a hearing on June 13, 2006, the Commission will decide how to proceed with respect to European patent law, and may introduce a new legislative proposal concerning patents (or even more than one) after the summer.

The "EU Campaigner of the Year 2005" will bring the audience up-to-date on political developments in the EU concerning software patents. The first part of the talk will be a quick recap of what happened on that front in the past and an overview of the legal status quo of software patents in Europe (statutory and case law). Then a look at possible next moves by the pro-patent lobby and its political allies, and how to prepare for those scenarios.