It's a small, globalized world, right. So can't risk those pesky foreigners doing things differently from us.

Though the European Union's patenting system might [be] more effective, Gartner has highlighted problems that could arise from its being out of sync with the system in United States. For example, if a patented e-commerce technology is enforceable in the United States but not the European Union, users of the technology in the United States could be breaking the law by accessing an EU Web site that employed the technology, according to Gartner.

EU directive could spark patent war | CNET News.com