Paul Meller

The European Parliament voted in favour of a law that goes some way towards limiting the scope for patents on software programs Wednesday.

The European Parliament voted in favour of a law that goes some way toward limiting the scope for patents on software programs Wednesday.

With most of the main political parties divided, Wednesday's vote at the European Parliament on a Union-wide law on computer-implemented inventions is expected to be a close call.

The European Union and China have agreed to collaborate to develop the Galileo global satellite navigation system, the European Commission said Thursday.

Opponents of a proposed European law on software patents have overhauled their lobbying efforts in a last ditch attempt to turn lawmakers' opinions in their favour.

The European Union (E.U.) imposed a punitive 34.8 per cent import tariff on dynamic random access memory (DRAM) products made by South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor Inc. Tuesday, in response to what it calls unfair subsidies to the firm.

Attempts to combat spam, the scourge of e-mail users the world over, would be hampered if the U.S. fails to introduce an outright ban, said a senior European Commission official Tuesday.

The European Commission (EC) levied a 10.35 million euros (US$11.53 million) fine on French Internet service provider (ISP) Wanadoo SA Wednesday, after finding it guilty of stifling competition in the market for high-speed Internet access.