01/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - Daniel Cohn-Bendit, co-president of the Greens/EFA group at the European Parliament, has written to the German Justice Minister, Brigitte Zypries, to congratulate her on her initiative to organise a round table on software patentability, with representatives of all interested parties. The Greens were harshly critical of the Competitiveness Council's recent decision on this (EUROPE of 19 May, p/11 and of 20 May, p.8). In his letter, Daniel Cohn-Bendit points out that the experts from "innovative" companies he consulted in May 2003 and February and April 2004 told him that software patentability is a "threat to all innovation efforts", and represents "an instrument to block competition". The MEP continues that in the US, the Federal Trade Commission has questioned the usefulness of such patents.