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Software: EU Law

Original answer

No consideration has been given as internet search engines are not within the defined scope of the Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment Directive. The scope of the WEEE Directive is restricted to equipment which is dependent on electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to work properly or equipment for the generation, transfer and measurement of such currents and fields.

The answer was corrected by Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Conservative)

on Monday, 21 March 2016 on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Corrected answer

No consideration has been given as internet search engines are not within the defined scope of the Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment Directive. The scope of the WEEE Directive is restricted to equipment which is dependent on electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to work properly or equipment for the generation, transfer and measurement of such currents and fields.

No consideration has been given to either computer software or internet search engines because they do not fall within the definition of electrical and electronic equipment specified in the WEEE Directive. Software is normally either downloaded to equipment or purchased on CDs. It is the equipment that is used to run the software that would fall in scope since that equipment is dependent on electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to work properly. An internet search engine is a service, not a piece of equipment, and so is also outside the scope of the Directive.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

HL6285

Session

2015-16

Subjects

Software EU law Electronic equipment Waste disposal

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk