Axel Pfeiffer
Patent Attorney, Beetz and Partner, Munich, Germany

Not the only but the most prominent piece of patent legislation in Europe in recent years was the discussion around the EU Directive on Patentability of Computer Implemented Inventions (the CII Directive). It ended in summer 2005 with the EU Parliaments rejection of the CII Directive. Hard times for patents? This question is broader than the EU Parliaments rejection of the CII Directive. But the question shall be approached also in view of the circumstances that led to the above mentioned decision on the EU level.