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By Suzanna Kerridge, 23 February 2000 18:21

NEWS The European IT Services Association (EISA) is to lobby the European Parliament to change the current software copyright laws offering protection to developers. Tim Conway, director of the Information Age Unit at the CSSA and EISA delegate, said the association was in the process of drafting a directive on software patents. "Software has been patentable in the US and Japan for some time now as a basic form of protection. But in Europe protection is only offered in terms of copyright and although it is automatic it only covers written work. We want software patents as they protect the underlying business innovation," he said. He said ecommerce had elevated the importance of software and services, and that it was time software developers were afforded the same intellectual property right protection as hardware developers. "There is a whole new digital economy striking Europe in a large way - and the software and services industry is at the heart if it. If dot-com is a gold rush, then we're selling the picks and shovels to the goldminers," he said. One delegate, who did not want to be named, agreed. "Hardware has always been high on the agenda and a recognised part of the economy but with the growth in ecommerce there is a growing recognition of the importance of software and services. Everyone in the EC is talking about the digital economy and there's a recognition that the traditional way of doing business is no longer the most appropriate way," he said.