Idiotic. Dangerous. Ultimately economically damaging. What do these foolish politicians actually think? Who's going to get these patents? The small software houses? The freelance programmers? No. The big companies will have the advantage in the long run once again. Great - Microsoft, IBM and other patent hoarders can then use expensive patent lawsuits to squeeze small shops out of the market when they get in the way. And they can expand the madness they're already pulling off with software patents in the USA to the EU as well. And in the end, the customer will be the one footing the bill for this whole nonsense again.
At heise online news there's the original article.