Conference on problems of legal protection of electronic computer programmes

Abstract

Three lectures as well as the discussions at the Conference on Foreign and International Patent Rights. Copyrights and Competition Rights organized by the Max Planck Institute at Munich in October 18 1967, are reviewed in brief.
In his lecture entitled The use of copyrighted works in information storage and retrieval systems. Miss B. A. RINGER (USA) came to the conclusion that the widespread use of electronic computers will cause basic changes in copyrights.
G. KOLLE (German Federal Republic) in his lecture on protection of patent rights of electronic computer programmes reached the final conclusion - which however does not seem to be quite convincing — that there is no possibility to protect the patent rights of computer programmee.
On the other hand E. ULMER (German Federal Republic) pointed out in his lecture on the protection of copyrights of electronic computer programmee that there is, in principle, a possibility to protect these copyrights considering the limits of such protection, similar to the protection of the copyrights of scientific works.