Bonum Certa Men Certa

European Patent Office Pretends It's Business as Usual and Prepares New Vanity Pieces

The current media strategy is to pretend nothing is amiss and work on media presence by sending journalists various new (carefully prepared in-house) puff pieces

Of media presence



Summary: The PR strategy of the EPO, whose destructive patent strategy continues unabated (for now), latches onto Colombia and strives to manufacture mythology wherein the public, patent examiners and patent applicants are all very happy with the EPO

THE situation in Europe is rather grim when it comes to patents. The EPO has not yet had any executive subjected to legal procedures, even though violations on European soil were well recorded (documented in the media, too). Moreover, the EPO is still promoting software patents this week. That's what virtually all patent trolls are relying on.



Based on this new article: "Some of Europe’s biggest producers of intellectual property are teaming up to battle for rules that’ll help them cash in better on innovation. Telecommunications network builder Ericsson AB, plane maker Airbus Group SE, French phone company Orange SA and train maker Alstom SA are among companies behind IP Europe, a consortium due to be unveiled today in Brussels."

Ericsson is actually behind some big patent trolls. We already gave some examples of Europe attracting patent trolls and Ericsson has a lot to do with it, Nokia too. "Ericsson to promote patent trolling at the European level, hardcore pro-swpat," (software patents) the FFII's President wrote yesterday (citing the article above).

Over at IP Kat, where many EPO workers comment anonymously, one person wrote:

I am really struggling to understand something, and so I turn to the good readers of IPKat for help.

When reporting "production" figures for 2014, Monsieur le President was quoted as saying "Our production, our productivity and our cost controls have all improved". I also understand that the accounts of the EPO have shown a healthy surplus for the past few years.

Thus, based upon its own publications, we can conclude that the EPO has achieved both a healthy "profit margin" and a reduction in underlying costs (of production). Right?

So why (as always) are fees increasing this year? That is, how come the users of the system (who, after all, fund the whole shooting match) do not benefit from the apparently improved productivity?

Answers on a postcard, please.


The EPO is operating as though it's a business, not a service, maximising profit and making it harder for European SMEs to get patents (prices go up). The Banana Republicans of EPOnia now visit South America and then publish total hogwash about it. Battistelli, who is probably as beneficial to the region as Pinochet was (see this recent article in English and in Spanish), said yesterday: "In addition, we were able to sign a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) agreement in Bogota between the EPO and Colombia’s Superintendent of Industry and Commerce, a measure made possible since we furthered ties through a framework cooperation agreement in 2014. The conclusion of the PPH pilot programme will prove essential for promoting access to accelerated patent prosecution. It is anticipated that this, in turn, will foster business growth between our two regions and boost co-operation between our Offices, bringing additional benefits to European patent holders outside of Europe. It is also envisaged that such agreements will greatly support the timely acquisition of patent rights with our users, such as the university researchers and innovators from industry and business I had met just the day before signing the agreement. It was also clear from the intense media interest that these were measures of interest to a wide variety of actors in innovation, business and industry."

Has anyone noticed that Monsieur le President now spends more time in countries such as China and Colombia rather than Western countries? Some months ago we were told that he had cancelled his trip to Zagreb, where his bulldog Topić reportedly face many criminal charges (more on that tomorrow).

Keeping up the pretense of quality and compliance, the EPO has also just published details about this effort to create an illusion of support from stakeholders, piggybacking ISO [1, 2] despite its rigging (credentials and accreditation for sale). As we wrote here earlier today, there are other such propaganda efforts underway (in Rijswijk). Prepare for the EPO storming the European press with blatant lies and spin.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Traf-O-Data, the Company That Jeffrey Epstein's BFF (Bill Gates) (Co)Founded 53 Years and Went Out of Business Due to Heavy Losses
Who will die first, Bill or Microsoft?
A Note on SimilarWeb
Or why SimilarWeb is meaningless for more than 99% of the sites on the Web
IBM Said to be Shutting Down Offices or Sites in the United States
the press can no longer avoid admitting that IBM moves many jobs to India
LLM Slop as Attack Vector on the Reputation of Linux
The attacks on Linux have escalated to information warfare
 
Techrights Has Dealt With More Potent SLAPPs Than Violent Microsofters Begging to Hide What They Did to Women
I became accustomed to SLAPPs
Links 04/04/2025: Fury in South Korea, Flight MH370 Remains Mystery
Links for the day
Gemini Links 04/04/2025: Anger and Raspberry Pi CM4
Links for the day
Links 04/04/2025: LLM Slop Bubble Bursting and Korea Music Copyright Association Bans Slop 'Music'
Links for the day
Why Microsoft's Shares Sank Almost 20% in Recent Months (the Bubble is Imploding)
verified press reports from the past 24 hours
GNU/Linux Rises to Almost 5% in Algeria While Windows Sinks to All-Time Low
GNU/Linux grew tenfold
Where to Get More Gags
A valued reader recommended that to us
Links 04/04/2025: Tech Stock (Inc. GAFAM) Fall, Google Pretends to Do End-to-End Encrypted Emails (With Google in Control)
Links for the day
To Participate in Fedora Diversity You Must Use Proprietary Software
Not for the first time either
Yandex About to Be Three Times Bigger Than Microsoft (Bing) in Asia
That's about 60% of the world's population
Gemini Links 04/04/2025: Decoupling Updates, Elaho as Gemini Client
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 03, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, April 03, 2025
Microsoft's Trouble in Africa and Asia
A new all-time high for GNU/Linux
Brett Wilson LLP Reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
The saddest thing in all this is that law firms can maintain high standards shall they wish to
Links 03/04/2025: Tariff Pains and C.D.C. Cuts
Links for the day
StatCounter: Microsoft is Masking a Disaster, It's Way Behind DeepSeek Already and Interest in LLMs Has Waned
it turns out the money "raised" for "Open" "AI" may not even exist at all
Links 03/04/2025: SoftBank Money for Microsoft "Open" "AI" Probably Doesn't Even Exist, Wikimedia Foundation Blasts LLM Nuisance While Microsoft Admits Demand Has Shrunk
Links for the day
Gemini Links 03/04/2025: Patch Panel and Pictures
Links for the day
Islamic Republic of Iran: GNU/Linux at All-time High This Month, Windows Falls to 12%
Vista 10 is up this month despite being "end of life" (EoL) soon
Indonesia: All-Time Highs for GNU/Linux
What's noteworthy right now is the growth of GNU/Linux
statCounter Says GNU/Linux Usage is Up Again (Internationally)
some preliminary April data
Only on April 1st Can the Free Software Foundation Associate With Microsoft's Open Source Initiative (OSI)
We saw some pranks that day linking the FSF to Microsoft (e.g. "endorsing" Windows)
Confirmed in the Mainstream Media: A Lot of Microsoft "Workloads" Were Just LLM Slop (Helping to Fake Growth for Years, as Microsoft Had Paid "Open" "AI" to Become a "Client") and Demand is Rapidly Waning, Datacentres Canceled and/or Shut Down
Anything to facilitate further accounting fraud
Taiwan's Media Covers Closure of Microsoft's "AI" Lab, It's Time to Talk About the Gradual Death of Windows and Implosion of the "AI" Bubble
Earlier this week we showed that mostly Asian media had the 'nerve' to mention Microsoft silently shutting down its 'AI' lab
IBM Gets Rid of Kelly Chambliss as Mass Layoffs Reported in IBM Consulting, IBM Loses Key Contracts/Graft
IBM Consulting has been in disarray lately
More Gains for GNU/Linux, Based on Web Surveys
the Steam site shows rapid growth for "Linux" this month
Slopwatch: Anti-Linux Articles, Not Even Written by Humans
Why aren't Web sites more vocal about this problem?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 02, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, April 02, 2025
Links 03/04/2025: Apple Fined Over Secret Surveillance, "Elegant Writer For A More Civilized Age"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 02/04/2025: Books and Cold Tea
Links for the day
Links 02/04/2025: More Layoffs, Nokia Again Takes Advantage of Illegal and Unconstitutional Patent Court With Nokia Staff as 'Judges'
Links for the day
Links 02/04/2025: Seizures and Returns to Windows of 24 Years Ago
Links for the day
LLM Slop Helps Obscure and Distort News About Layoffs (IBM, GAFAM)
It's hard to find accurate information
Links 02/04/2025: Microsoft Developers Are Threatening to Go on Strike, World Backup Day Noted
Links for the day
Gemini Protocol Has Growing Appeal (the Web Got Too Bloated and Full of LLM Slop)
For any "data plan" with bandwidth limits or "tiers" it would be cheaper to use/browse Geminispace
The Web Can Survive LLM Slop, But Only If We Collectively Shun and Discourage Serial Sloppers
Doing nothing ought not be a possibility
Amid Secret Shut-downs and Mass Layoffs at Microsoft (4 Waves of Layoffs in 3 Months of 2025) Some Microsoft Staff Expected to Go On Strike
workers going on strike
Gemini Links 02/04/2025: No more on Mastodon and Gemini Mention Script in Go
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, April 01, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, April 01, 2025
My Motion Disbarring or “Striking Off” Brett Wilson LLP for Enabling Violent Americans Who Try to Crush Microsoft Critics in the United Kingdom by Multiple SLAPPs
"Guns for hire" (for Microsoft people who received Microsoft salaries)
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Hijacked Again by Patent Litigation Industry, as President Cheeto Prioritises Aggressors
The "mafia" has taken over the "industry" and the Federal system (justice and constitutions trampled upon)
Ubuntu Slop and FUD Manufactured With LLMs and Funded (by Oneself) 'Studies'
Slop and FUD are ruining the Web