Van Buitenen MEP Inquires on Possibilities for Sanctions against Council Patent Officials

Van Buitenen MEP Inquires on Possibilities for Sanctions against Council Patent Officials: "The Council's patent policy working party, consisting of ministerial patent officials from the member states, secretly met on May 27th to form a joint position on the Parliament's proposed amendments to the Council's Uncommon Position on software patents. At that meeting, the Dutch representatives acted against promises given to their Parliament, positioning the Netherlands as a country that can not accept any limit on patentability with regard to software. In a letter sent to the Council today, Paul van Buitenen, known as a 'whistleblower' whose investigations forced a corrupt European Commission to resign, inquires about the legal basis for this kind of illoyalty in EU law and for sanctions available to bring the Council under democratic control. Questions on a related matter by a colleague of Buitenen and by FFII have so far been ignored by the Council."