Bonum Certa Men Certa

Transparency is Sunlight in the Kingdom of the EPO Vampires

Justice requires transparency, not darkness

EPO Dracula



Summary: Shedding light on the way in which managers in Munich's EPO headquarters try to silence their critics and shoot the messengers, preventing even disclosure of these acts of silencing and shooting (potential firing)

Benoît Battistelli proudly claimed earlier today (mentioned just one hour ago by the EPO at Twitter) that there are "unprecedented levels of transparency". One has to be seriously misinformed to actually believe him.



The EPO's management has not stopped attacking the unions, as we made very clear earlier this week. There's just more secrecy. The management, or Team Battistelli in Munich, shows extreme hypocrisy as it's apparently OK for management to 'leak' information about 'investigations' into board members (or judges) but not for ordinary members of staff to do the same. The EPO just tries to control the narrative and only the EPO's ad hominem attacks on the accused are deemed acceptable. Reactionary comments about the accusers are deemed treasonous. What kind of institution has the EPO become and how can it ever expect to earn back the respect it once had?

"What kind of institution has the EPO become and how can it ever expect to earn back the respect it once had?"Several weeks ago we wrote about media coverage that was very critical of the EPO's treatment of judges (see the JUVE translation from Techrights regarding EPO management and Battistelli). SUEPO has a new translation (not the same one) in English [PDF] and in other languages. To quote the public site, "JUVE comments on the failure of EPO President Benoît Battistelli to push his proposal of reform of the Boards of Appeal. Translations of the article are available in English, French, and Dutch."

As we explained here in about a dozen articles before, "reform of the Boards of Appeal" is a euphemism or misnomer because the real goal -- given the reluctance to fill empty poisitions and the eagerness to drive them away (among other factors) -- is to crush them. It's about "reform" to the same degree that union-busting is "investigation".

In order to demonstrate what the EPO witch-hunts staff representatives for we've decided to share snippets of text and rebut based on our common sense and general understanding of the whole situation. Accompanying every snippet (or similar snippets from letters sent to different people) are our thoughts, not the thoughts of the accused (whom we never even spoke to anyway).

within-less-than-a-week

3 examples are aligned horizontally for the sake of comparison, showing how 3 staff representatives at the EPO were targeted with letters within less than a week since the first one (only days apart).




request-of-secrecy

"Confidential" is ludicrous enough as it is given the nature of the allegations below; "Personal" is somewhat misleading because, as we shall show, several of the same letters were sent to several people. There's nothing so personal about it. It's almost impersonal. The original intent here was to divide and rule, i.e. prevent people from communicating with one another, then crush them in isolation. Solitude makes them weaker and makes legal defence more expensive if not altogether financially-prohibitive, thus unavailable, or too limited to be effective. Any request of secrecy needs to justify itself; just slapping the word "Confidential" on everything wouldn't fly as it shows paranoia and gives the public reasons for suspicion, concern, and distrust. It typically breeds misconduct.

They seem to be using some very ancient office equipment to stamp these letters, so dreams of going fully digital/electronic still seem elusive at the higher floors of the EPO's main Office.




opening-template

This opening template (3 letters) shows lack of creativity, does it not? A lot of these letters can probably be 'folded' onto just one with special extra phrases, specified for individual recipients. The person who did so was in fact so lazy or sloppy that a lady was referred to in the letter sent to her as "Mister".




suepo-signup

SUEPO sign-up is being targeted, but why? Is it because a massive new number of staff members has decided to join? Is somebody feeling threatened? How come all this time the EPO's management had no issues with SUEPO sign-ups? Does it need to take examples from 3 years ago to suddenly claim that it's wrong to join SUEPO? This kind of retreat to events from 2 years ago (or even further back) shows that the EPO is so utterly desperate for 'dirt' on convenient scapegoats that -- just like the Stasi in East Germany -- it is now 'hitting' the archives (mass surveillance) and scanning the shelves for pretexts and retroactive justifications. It even looks for informants with some character-assassinating 'dirt' that can be retrieved/reconstructed from several years ago. That's what some call "scraping the bottom of the barrel."




repetition-of-allegation

Here we have some repetition of an allegation and the appeal to "legality", which -- coming from the EPO's mouth (after disregarding what was legal or illegal) -- is laughable.




threatening-staff-and-redefining-or-reframing-rules

Here they are threatening staff and redefining or reframing rules so as to give feet to the accusations.




epo-pretends-that-it-finally-cares-about-EU-law-and-host-states

Now the EPO pretends -- yet again! -- that it finally cares about EU law and host states. This is comical. It's like that time the EPO twisted British defamation law to silence critics. The EPO likes the laws of host states only when it suits the EPO's crooked management.




lutz-et-al-appealing-to-German-law

Here we have Lutz et al (probably) appealing to German law, which is funny given all that people have been saying about Lutz with his bizarre interpretation of German law (which he is supposed to understand). It was Lutz who put his name on the notorious "rights" statement -- a controversial internal memo which served as a prelude to suspensions affecting SUEPO.




hypocritcal-EPO-says-it-cares-for-freedom-of-communication

Here we can see a very hypocritical EPO. It says it cares for freedom of communication. Well, everyone must ask it why it threatens bloggers and gags its own staff, driving many people into the harbours of anonymity and pseudonyms (for their own protection). This isn't the first time that the EPO pretends to care about freedom of expression, privacy, and so on. These are shots in the foot because people who say these things at behalf of the EPO beg to be ridiculed for their infinite hypocrisy.




hypocritcal-EPO-nitpciking-on-secrecy-while-ignoring-risk-of-reprisal-from-aggressive-EPO

The hypocritical EPO is now nitpicking on secrecy while ignoring risk of reprisal from an infamously aggressive EPO.




EPO-pretends-to-care-for-national-law

EPO pretends to care for national law again? Selective at best, pathetic at least.




EPO-which-disregards-courts-orders-and-abuses-a-lot-of-staff-pretends-to-speak-for-justice

So the EPO, an institution which disregards court orders and abuses a lot of staff (with ongoing ILO cases), pretends to speak for justice. That's like BP speaking for climate or Microsoft speaking for Linux.




EPO-refuses-to-tolerate-lawsuits-against-EPO

The EPO refuses to tolerate lawsuits against the EPO. Big surprise here. Having eliminated whatever was left of oversight, Battistelli now crushes anything which dares to challenge his (mis)conduct. That's the hallmark of empires. Only civil disobedience or interference from the outside can put an end to it.




hypocritcal-EPO-talks-about-standards-and-accuses-legitimate-critics

The hypocritical EPO talks about standards and accuses legitimate critics. Do they have any mirrors at the EPO building in Munich (high floors in particular)? Better yet, get some stakes and garlic, too. These people at the top fail to objectively assess what they themselves are doing and have been doing for years.




hypocritcal-EPO-on-basic-human-rights-respect-principles-of-law-common-sense-accontability-integrity

The hypocritical EPO remarks on basic human rights, respect, principles of law, common sense, accountability, integrity etc. Even a drunk official would be able to spot the hypocrisy when typing such a thing.




vague-accusation-of-negligence

Here are the vague accusations of negligence, as if it doesn't matter what explanation is given, the EPO's accuser (and judge etc.) will reject it. This is not justice, it's a "discharge" sheet.




epic-hypocrisy-on-secrecy-gag-orders

This is epic hypocrisy on secrecy. Gag orders are fine for EPO management, but not for staff, even if for their own protection from an increasingly abusive management.




EPO-hypocrisy-on-leaking-details-of-ongoing-investigation

EPO hypocrisy on leaking details of an ongoing investigation. Didn't EPO managers use the media to personally attack a judge just weeks after paying nearly a million bucks to a PR firm? Benoît Battistelli is becoming like Sheldon Adelson.




confidential-by-EPO-definition

This is only confidential by EPO management's definition. The motivation for secrecy is self-serving. Anyone with a clue can see that.




declaring-opposing-views-invalid-and-disregarding-them-completely

Watch how they are arrogantly reject the existence of more than one side in this mock 'trial', declaring opposing views invalid and disregarding them completely. That's arrogance and self-righteousness.




EPO-talks-about-intergrity-and-ignores-its-own-sins-of-compromising-an-investigation-with-Dutch-and-German-media

EPO talks about integrity and ignores its own sins of compromising an investigation with Dutch and German media. That's a recurring theme of hypocrisy or double-standard.




painting-bullyish-investigators-as-the-victims

PR strategies employed, painting bullyish investigators [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] as the victims.




representation-is-incorrect-because-we-say-so

Arrogance is showing again. The representation is incorrect because we say so? What kind of pretense of justice is this?




EPO-management-pretends-to-guard-privacy-of-low-level-workers-rather-than-protect-itself-from-accountability

EPO management pretends to guard privacy of low-level workers rather than protect itself from accountability (and potentially prosecution).




EPO-guards-secrecy-of-in-house-Stasi-and-pretends-blowing-this-cover-exposes-identity-of-poor-victims

EPO guards the secrecy of its in-house Stasi and pretends that blowing this cover would expose the identity of poor victims. "Think of the children..."




Panicking-that-other-offices-become-aware-of-antics-of-EPO-Munich-management

Panicking that other offices become aware of the antics of EPO Munich management? Is that what it's all about? It sure sounds like information itself, not people, is the enemy here.




EPO-Munich-management-panics-that-the-public-knows-what-is-happening-and-things-got-out-of-hand

EPO Munich management evidently panics because it can see that the public knows what is happening and that things got out of hand.




We-hereby-declare-a-gag-order-because-what-we-do-here-is-embarassing

This again is an EPO modus operandi, keeping not just the public but also workers and their representatives in the dark. We hereby declare a gag order because what we do here is embarrassing...




So there we have it. It is now easier for more people to see what the true nature of the allegations was all along. Seeing it in context, there is plenty of hypocrisy, a very low barrier/standard at hand, and plenty of manipulation by an increasingly paranoid EPO management.

"Truth never damages a cause that is just."

--Mahatma Gandhi

Recent Techrights' Posts

Google as a 'Bullshit Generator' Disguised as Intelligence
It'll probably cause Google to get sued a lot, both by individuals and companies
As Expected, Google in the UK Now Experiments With Slop Instead of Web Search
At this point more people ought to stop and think: Does Google's search engine deserve trust?
Sabotaging Linux on Behalf of Microsoft With UEFI 'Secure' Boot (De Facto Remote 'Kill Switch'), Then Defaming, Stalking and Harassing Critics of 'Secure' Boot for 12 Years, Then SLAPPing Their Spouses and Them
The sorts of stubborn lunatics we've been dealing with
 
For Second Day in a Row, Top Story in The Register MS is "Microsoft Says"
The editor in chief exercises control over everybody else
LLMs as Attack Method Against Free Software and Programming
DDoS in "hey hi" (slop) clothing
Stability and Reliability, Backward Compatibility
I don't fancy relying on social control media as "sources"
What "the News" Looks Like in 2025
The "says" (or "sez") phenomenon
History Will Be Distorted, Sometimes Intentionally, Under the Guise of Intelligence (Manipulated/Curated Slop)
Militarised misinformation or military-grade chaff is a national security threat, even domestically
Financial Engineering Companies: A Company Worth 4 Trillion Dollars Would Not Borrow 100+ Billion Dollars at Interest Rates Like Today's
Many headlines perpetuate the lie Microsoft had just 2 waves of layoffs
Microsoft is Googlebombing "Linux" While Paying Former News Sites to Publish SPAM
How much lower will IDG sink?
The Data You Don't Give Away is Your Advantage
stop sharing data that does not need to be shared
Being Obedient or Doing the Right Thing
The world always changes for the better because of people who think "Outside the Box", not the cogs
Gemini Links 01/08/2025: Happy Hacking Keyboards and New Gemini Arrivals
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 31, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, July 31, 2025
Moving on in Techrights, Geeks Gonna Geek
In the coming weeks we plan to focus (as we explained last week) on patents, GNU/Linux issues, and the occasional philosophical essays
Slopwatch: Google News Has Lost the Plot
Almost the majority of articles returned for "Linux" are fakes
Links 31/07/2025: Australia Restricts YouTube Access, Personal Privacy at Risk
Links for the day
Links 31/07/2025: Spotify Collapses and Spotify Now Forcing Some Users to Undergo Face-Scanning
Links for the day
A Lot of Supposedly "Successful" Businesses Are Just Debt-Racking Vessels Without Any Prospects of Financial Sustainability
The probability of bankruptcy of any business is more than 0%
theregister.com: The Voice of Microsoft US?
It basically sold out
Yes, You Can Love and Adore Things Whilst Also Criticising Them
Is society being divided and groomed/primed to be resistant to constructive criticism?
Links 31/07/2025: War in Ukraine, Security News, and Cyberattacks Against Journalists on the Rise
Links for the day
Gemini Links 31/07/2025: Fake Money and Gemini Diaries
Links for the day
An Illusion and Cult Worship of Magnitude (Ubiquity as "Victory")
GNU has been around for over 40 years and it'll likely continue to exist for another 40 (in some form)
Google: From Pointing to Relevant Sites to Pointing to Social Control Media to Actually Parroting Social Control Media as "Facts"
Google has become a misinformation company
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, July 30, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, July 30, 2025
How to Report Apple Layoffs Without Saying the "L" Word
don't look for the "L" word
Wall Street Does Not Care About Microsoft's Impending (August) Layoffs, It Believes Lies From Microsoft, Whose Debt Grows Rapidly
If Microsoft is doing so well and swimming in money, why so many cuts (about 29,000 layoffs so far this year)?
Wayland Considered Harmful (to GNU/Linux Adoption)
it's not limited to games
My Experience With Judges Has been Positive, But We Must Still Pursue SLAPP Reform in the United Kingdom
We believe it'll be a "feather in the cap" if we can help change laws in the UK to better protect investigative reporters
Slopwatch Makes the Web Better
Remember what happened to BetaNews?
Slopwatch: Google News is Pumping in Lots of Web Traffic Into Fake Sites That Say "Linux"
somewhere between 30% and 40% of today's "news" about "Linux", as seen by Google News, is LLM slop
Links 30/07/2025: Climate Calamities Highlighted, Kyrgyzstan Crackdown on Expression/Freedoms
Links for the day
Gemini Links 30/07/2025: Watson’s List of Limits, Lysenko 2000
Links for the day
Riot for peace & Love: Catholic Influencers and Digital Missionaries welcome Jubilee of Youth
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Some People See What Others See... But Only 40 Years Later
When people deviate from "the norm" they typically get ridiculed and dismissed as "crazy"
Links 30/07/2025: Tea Class Action and Google Killing the Web With Slop
Links for the day
Last Month Our IRC Community Turned 17
Funnily enough we never missed a single day when it comes to logging
"The Unix Kernel"
Linux was inspired by MINIX
The Register Relays Microsoft Marketing, Dubs That Marketing "Research"
Hours ago they did a "Microsoft sez" piece
Dealing With Sociopaths, Liars, and Cranks
A dysfunctional society such as this would never develop
Not Owning Mobile Phones
It's not about resistance; it's common sense
Google 'Search' is Fast Becoming No Better Than Social Control Media Infested With Bots
Google emerged almost 30 years ago as a company looking to organise the Web and direct people towards informative pages. That Google is dead.
PCLinuxOS Had Functional Backups Before the House Fire, the Site Will be Restored in New Webhost
This is the direction we want for GNU/Linux, not some IBM sales strategy
Gemini Links 30/07/2025: Two Sides of Me and "Hooked on Cosmic Voyage"
Links for the day
Microsoft Will Continue Resorting to Crimes in Order to Keep GNU/Linux Usage Down
It is a real problem and we'll revisit it later this week
GAFAM 'Revolving Doors' at The Register and a "Bribe Price List"
"an analyst at Microsoft"
Microsoft Rapidly Shrinking (No, It's Not About Efficiency, It's About Unbearable Debt)
We'll soon see how much debt grew in the past quarter
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 29, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Corruption is the Standard Operating Procedure at the European Patent Office (EPO)
The EPO is a dictatorship that stains Europe
Local Staff Committee Munich (LSCMN) at the European Patent Office (EPO) Requests an Urgent Meeting to Avoid Abolishing the Office
This is dictatorship led by the most corrupt
Slopwatch: Fake 'Linux' 'Articles' and Spamfarms/Slopfarms
at least 5 fake articles in one day