In Thursday's (March 17th) evening news, Jeannot Krecké, Luxembourgish's minister of Economy explained the reasons for his actions on the March 7th meeting.

Luxembourgish transcript

News anchor: Um Compétitivitéitsconseil zu Bréissel goung et haus eemol méi em d'Méigléchkeet fier Computersoftware ze brevetéieren. Opreegung gouf et dowéinst an de leschte Wochen, well d'EU Ministeren éng Propositioun vun der Europäëscher Commissioun zougestëmmt hun, déi esou formuléiert as, datt se Brevet'en zouléißt, déi awer eigentléch verhënnert solle gin.

Et huet een där Propose mussen zoustëmmen, esou de Lëtzebuerger Wirtschaftsminister Jeannot Krecké, fier se elo am zweeten Tour am Europaparlament kënnen ze änneren a méi kloer ze maachen.

Brevet'en fier Computerprogrammen sollen an Zukunft ob alle Fall ganz restrictif gehandhabt gin.

Jeannot Krecké: T'soll esou sin dass eppes waat wierkléch éng Erfindung as, dass daat och muer soll Brevetéiert gin. "Brevetéiert" heescht, dass een zwanzeg Joer quasi de Monopol dorobber huet, dass keen aaner et dierf gebräuchen, et sief dann et keeft een et, daat Patent.

Huelt d'Beispill vun den ABS Bremssystèmer, do géinge mer acceptéieren, selbstverständléch, dass daat ganzt Système brevetéiert gët. Mee d'Fro as op dee programme d'ordinateur deen hannendru leeft ob deen och als solches kënnt brevetéiert gin, an zwar eléng.

Mier sin der Mehnung datt d'Idien solle fräi zirkuléieren, a wann een dee Prinzip wëllt héich haalen, da muss een och derfier suergen dass d'Computer Programmen waat u séch nëmmen éng Sequenz vu Logiciel'en, vu mathematësche Formelen sin, schlußendléch, dass daat och muer nach dierft méigléch sin, an dass een nët déi ganz Innovatiounsbestriewung domatter géing am Keim erstécken.

News anchor: Nët vergiessen soll een awer, esou de Jeannot Krecké, datt och, wann éng Entreprise hiere Programm nët brevetéiere ka loossen, datt se dann awer Suen drop verdéngt, an zwar duerch d'Autorerechter. Déi nei Regelung soll bis July definitiv äusgeschafft sin.

English translation

News anchor: Today at the "competition" council meeting in Brussels the subject was once again the possibility to patent computer software. This subject has been the cause of turmoil in the last few weeks, because the EU ministers have agreed [to] a proposition of the European commission which is formulated in such a way that it allows patents [on computer software], which should actually have been avoided.

According to Luxembourgish Minister of Economy Jeannot Krecké, we had to agree to this proposal, so that we can amend and clarify it at the second reading in the European parliament.

In any case, patents on computer software shall be handled more restrictively in the future.

Jeannot Krecké: It should be done in such a way, that something which is really an invention, [may] still be patented tomorrow. "Patented" means that you have an almost-monopoly on it for twenty years, that nobody else may use it, unless he buys it, the patent.

Consider for instance the ABS braking systems, there we would accept, obviously, that the system as a whole is patented. But the question is whether the computer program that runs behind it, whether that [program] may be patented as such, on its own.

We hold the opinion that ideas should roam freely, and if somebody wants to hold that principle, he must make sure that computer programs, which are actually merely a sequence of software, of mathematical formulae, finally that this [free circulation of information] should still be possible tomorrow, and that the whole struggle for innovation [should] not be nipped in the bud using them [them = the sw patents?].

News anchor: It should not be forgotten, however, says Jeannot Krecké, that even though a company cannot patent their program, that they still can make money with it, namely using copyrights¹. The new directive should be finalized before July [end of Luxembourgish EU presidency].

¹: actually, the text says "Autorerechter", which would be more correctly translated as author's rights (French style droits d'auteurs), but in Luxembourgish this word is also used colloquially for the US style copyrights.