Bonum Certa Men Certa

Dutch MEP Dennis De Jong, Criticising Battistelli and Topić, Calls for Action Against EPO Management

Dennis De Jong



Summary: Even politicians, not just from France but also from the Netherlands, now add their voices to large-scale complaints about intimidation, nepotism, waste and corruption at the EPO

A FORTNIGHT ago we wrote that the European Parliament had declined to intervene in the affairs of the corrupt EPO. Thankfully it's not over because the latest news from the EPO involves intervention by a Dutch MEP (member of the European Parliament).



"Thankfully it's not over because the latest news from the EPO involves intervention by a Dutch MEP (member of the European Parliament).""It seems that following the dismissal of the Petition filed with the European Parliament," tells us a source, "the Dutch MEP Dennis de Jong (from the Socialist party) has criticised the decision of the Petitions Committee and is pressing for an investigation of the situation at the EPO.

"He recently published an article about EPO matters on his "Weeklog" and since it's all in Dutch we need to rely on automated translations. Google Translate allowed us to get the gist of it and here is an automated translation (we have made minor changes to make the text more coherent):

WEEKLOG: UNREST AT EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE



There may be days that go by when you do not think of the EPO (European Patents Office, EPO), but it's worth keeping the news of this European organization in mind. Officials who work there have rebelled. Their actions are directed against -- in their eyes -- the dictatorial rule of the Director of EPA, Benoit Battistelli. Soon I'll speak with staff representatives. Whether EPO is or is not an EU institution, the EU wants to do business with them or go for a new kind of European patent. Then we wish to hear that there are no situations where workers' rights are trampled and there is the smell of nepotism in appointments and dismissals.

Like their colleagues in Brussels, officials of EPA a gigantic, high salaries. Moreover, they are not promoted based on performance but on the basis of seniority. Battistelli wants to cut costs, in part because patents approvals in his organization are expensive. So he wants to get rid of quite a few privileges of the staff. You are there for what to suggest, but that does not mean you just can decrease your staff count, the right to participate in a fair and independent appeals, let alone enter a culture of intimidation. And that is exactly what Battistelli has done according to officials from federal EPA.

Since EPO is an independent international organization, it should be working and be controlled by the rules of the organization itself. For example, there is an EPA office in Rijswijk, the Dutch law does not apply. Normally, international organizations actually look at what is common for national officials when it comes to the right as you to organize workers in a union, to communicate with each other about labor rights, and, if you are suspected of a violation of internal rules, appeal is to go to an independent commission, but not so at EPA.

All these rights, according to the staff of EPO, have been wholly or partially abolished. The union is forbidden to operate within the buildings of EPA and the existing council was abolished. An internal investigation established that it is often intimidating to work and people are encouraged to tattle on colleagues, as reticent. Moreover, there are questions about the integrity of the right hand of Battistelli, the Croat Topic, accused of corruption in his home country, but whose appointment there by Battistelli is pushed through.

The participating countries, including the Netherlands, have the last word in the administration of EPO. Recently, however, Battistelli was re-appointed for a term of four years. Apparently, the protest is something these countries have not taken seriously. That is first and foremost a matter for the House, but by the indirect involvement of the EU also from the European Parliament. Officials with whom I have been in contact wish to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. But their case should be heard in Brussels. That seems like a better response than the response of the petition committee of the EP who referred the case back to a complaint of officials tied to the Internal Appeals of EPO. And while the complaints are properly focused among others on the fact that the committee can no longer operate independently but has been put into receivership by Battistelli. As for me, here comes to the bottom of: trade union rights apply to everyone, including officials and even for highly paid.


If someone who is fluent in Dutch can provide an accurate translation, please do so below or mail us.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Misinformation is Not Intelligence
It's low-grade plagiarism and it fails to show any signs of intelligence
'Tech' Gimmicks Are for Advertising, Not for Usability
In the case of Microsoft, they latched onto slop
BetaNews Sacked Brian Fagioli and Deleted His Comments, But He Still Tries to Use the "BetaNews" Brand for Self-Affirmation
Fagioli takes the work of other people
[Meme] Hard to Be a Better Person?
Sooner or later they'll realise that for each pound I spend they need to spend about 1,000 times more
New US Editor for The Register is a Microsoft Booster
"Avram Piltch has served as US editor for The Register since July 2025."
Reda Demanded That FSF Removes Its Founder, Now Reda Works Directly for Microsoft
A sellout and a traitor, first working for GAFAM, now Microsoft
PCLinuxOS is Raising Money to Support Development After Fire Incident at the Host
PCLinuxOS has not had announcements lately
 
10th Month, Ten Weeks From Now, at Ten AM
In Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 24, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, July 24, 2025
A Nadella Memo Distracts From Microsoft's Cheapening Of the Workforce
Right now the "MSM" (mainstream media) is flooded/overwhelmed by garbage pieces that relay lies for Nadella
Vanishing Faces of GNU/Linux
Free software projects do not depend on any one person or company to still exist
Microsoft Says It Lost 400 Million Windows Users, Now It's Waiting for GNU/Linux to Stop Booting on 'Old' PCs
When it comes to Windows, Microsoft is fully aware of the issue and statements it made earlier this summer suggest it lost 400 million Windows users
Slopwatch: LinuxTechLab, linuxsecurity.com, LinuxIac, and More
Also: The Register's Microsoft agenda (new editor)
Gemini Links 25/07/2025: Gemtext Aware Titan Editor and Gemini Protocol Comeback
Links for the day
Links 24/07/2025: Convicted Felon Quits UNESCO, "Vibe Coding Goes Wrong", and Signalgate Gets Worse
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/07/2025: Forgejo Woes and Smolnet Directory Week
Links for the day
Links 24/07/2025: Storage Tapes Still Kicking, Windows TCO 'on Steroids' (Microsoft-Induced Catastrophes)
Links for the day
Bobby Borisov (LinuxIac) Has Apparently Begun Experimenting With LLM Slop, So We Cannot Trust LinuxIac Anymore
So did LinuxIac become a slopfarm? Maybe not yet, but it's getting there
Informa TechTarget's ITProToday is Becoming a Slopfarm Generated by Microsoft Chatbots
Busted.
The LLM Con Artists Are Highly Destructive
Who will ever be held accountable for this scam?
Too Bribed by Microsoft to Move to Free Software?
Microsoft lies and Microsoft bribery (in politics)
Microsoft Hiring European Politicians is Another Form of Bribery; There Should be a European Investigation
When Microsoft bribed people in Europe for OOXML (there's no denying this!) a European government delegate said that Microsoft operated like a cult
Speed of the Site Should be Better Now
The "bot attacks" impact the speed of the sister site too
Getting More From AnalogNowhere
Recently we used many images from AnalogNowhere
Microsoft, Microsofters and 'Secure' Boot Shills Already Storming the LWN Report About Expiring Certificate, Shooting the Messenger
LWN has clearly stuck a nerve
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, July 23, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Disable "Secure" Boot Today (the Only Better Time to Do So Was Yesterday)
Don't trust anything Red Hat tells you about security
Links 23/07/2025: Windows Killed Company After 150+ Years, US Government Mimics Russia's Attacks on the Media
Links for the day
Freedom Generally Wins at the End, History Shows (But It's Constantly Attacked, Too)
At the moment people realise "Linux" (e.g. Android) isn't enough to guarantee any freedoms
Over 3 Months Later Brett Wilson LLP Still Unable to Recruit a Media Lawyer?
"Immediate start", but not found... still unfilled
“Inhumane” and “Disgusting” Mass Layoff Execution, According to Microsoft Staff
The workers are looking for other places to work
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) Has a New Slogan for Its 40th Anniversary
The freedoms are what's most important
Microsoft is Trying to "Pull a Nokia" on GNU/Linux as Desktop/Laptop Platform
We all remember that rather well, don't we?
LLM Slopfarms gbhackers.com, "Cyber Press" and CyberSecurityNews Are Drowning Google News (and Shame on Google for Feeding and Facilitating Them)
All are run by the same people
Links 23/07/2025: Droplets GUI Patent Monopoly Challenge, Nokia Leverages Illegal Patent Court Against Rivals
Links for the day
Gemini Links 23/07/2025: Community in Geminispace and Challenges With Old Computers
Links for the day
Links 23/07/2025: Slop Patents Tackled, Slop Copyright Misuses Tackled by Politicians
Links for the day
Our Three Lawsuits Against Microsofters Are About to Become a Lot More Relevant to GNU/Linux
The Master will easily understand why Garrett has been attacking me since 2012
Links 23/07/2025: Retreating From Transparency on Jeffrey Epstein, We No Longer Have Press Freedom
Links for the day
Gemini Links 23/07/2025: Piano and Food
Links for the day
New and Old
On Ageism in Tech
Slop Is Not Intelligence and It Does Not Enhance Productivity
Like voice dictation, which cannot tell the difference between "sheet" and "shit"
EPO Crimes Are Spreading to the British Court System
Society is now paying the price for failing to tackle crimes at the EPO
It's Time to Dump SharePoint and Here's What to Use Instead
Nextcloud, ownCloud, Bookstack, MediaWiki, and MediaGoblin
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 22, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Brett Wilson LLP Has Gone Silent
Sometimes silence says more than nothing at all
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, Planet Ubuntu, and LinuxTechLab
some slopfarms show no remorse and they don't value their reputation at all
Links 23/07/2025: Book Bans, Storms, and Kangaroo Court for Patents Commits More Unlawful Acts of Overreach
Links for the day