Microsoft’s history of anticompetitive behaviour and consumer harm

Microsoft’s conduct over the last two decades has demonstrated Microsoft’s willingness and ability to engage in unlawful conduct to protect and extend its core monopolies. This conduct has caused real harm to consumers, who continue to pay high prices and use lower quality products than would have prevailed in a competitive market. This paper aims […]

ECIS celebrates its 20th anniversary

The European Committee for Interoperable Systems was founded in Brussels in 1989. It played an important role in securing provisions benefitting interoperability provisions in the 1991 Software Copyright Directive, and numerous intellectual property initiatives since at European and international level. ECIS Chairman Simon Awde was already present in the early days of ECIS representing what […]

Community patent and litigation system must offer high quality, balanced protection and legal certainty

ECIS submitted comments to the European Commission on the Community patent and EU patent judiciary system. As ECIS points out in its comments, a Community patent system worth adopting must be balanced, ensure high quality patents and judicial decisions, and be reliable and ensure legal certainty to all interested parties. PDF download.

ECIS calls for a balanced EU IPR strategy

In its comments on the Communication from the European Commission about “An Industrial Property Rights Strategy for Europe” ECIS calls on the EU to guard against increasing intellectual property protection as a purpose in and of itself as opposed to a means to an end, namely increased innovation and greater welfare for society. More here.

Draft European Interoperability Framework (EIF) v2.0 recognises importance of interoperability in European eGovernment

In its comments submitted to the European Commission, ECIS notes that EIF 2.0, if adopted and implemented, would make a significant contribution to encouraging openness and genuine interoperability across borders and software applications used in European eGovernment. The Draft recognises interoperability as a key means to promote efficient pan-European Government Services (“PEGS”). ECIS supports these […]