Bonum Certa Men Certa

Survey Confirms What Board 28 Already Admits: the European Patent Office is Deep in a State of Crisis Since Benoît Battistelli Took Over

English slides (finish to start):

English slides



French slides:

French slides



Summary: Central SUEPO Committee releases the results of a survey which a high proportion of staff took a part in (nearly 40%)

BOARD 28 says there's a crisis at the EPO and the new survey (outlined above) shows that this is an understatement at best. No, this isn't a survey from Sun King (EPO President, Battistelli) or the Administrative Council but a survey that comes from the staff itself because the circle of Sun King manufactures propaganda and something that's misleadingly named "social study" (more like socialist or Communist type of 'study', i.e. propaganda for supporting the party line). Rumours suggest that the Spaniard Jesús Areso was the subject of union-busting 'investigations' for merely trying to arrange a staff satisfaction survey -- one that's not controlled by Sun King and his party (or circle) for self-glorification purposes.



"These are self-explanatory and simple enough for anyone aged 10 or above to interpret and understand."Using the GIMP (GNU software) I have generated animated slideshows that summarise all that's in the PDFs in English and in French. These are self-explanatory and simple enough for anyone aged 10 or above to interpret and understand.

"There used to be a staff survey which was abolished by Battistelli," one reader told us. "Why ask people's opinion when it's obvious that staff is entirely happy and fully behind their beloved leader, except a few disgruntled felons who will be disposed of in due course...

"SUEPO ran on its own the survey with the essentially same questions as the earlier ones.

“SUEPO ran on its own the survey with the essentially same questions as the earlier ones.”
      --Anonymous
"Surprise! The results are even worse than the earlier ones...

"I'm not sure that the AC [Administrative Council] will be impressed."

Judging by how many people voted for a strike, there's consistency here. There's no happiness at all, just increasing anxiety and stress. Does this help explain the surge in suicides? Watch the (dis)trust rates towards both Battistelli and the Administrative Council. It's virtually zero. Here is the covering letter, so to speak:

Zentraler Vorstand . Central Executive Committee . Bureau Central

16/03/2016 su16044cp – 0.2.4

Preliminary results of the EPO Staff Survey 2016 (run by Technologia)



Dear colleagues,

The 2016 Staff Survey is now completed. Thanks to all of you who participated!

Some preliminary results are accessible in English and in French. They will be also brought to the attention of the Delegations of the Administrative Council today.

The final results and analysis will follow in due course.

As you know, this year's survey asked the same questions as the previous surveys held in 2010 and 2013, in order to be able to compare the results and secure reliable benchmarks. Although we await the complete assessment by Technologia, it is already manifest that there has been a deterioration in our collective experience of work at the EPO.

We thank you for your trust and support. Rest assured of our commitment to trying to improve the situation.

Your Central SUEPO Committee



Remember this: nothing hurts the tyrants at the EPO as much as transparency and facts. The management is lying to staff and to journalists these days. That's how terrible things have gotten. It's going to further erode trust, both internally and externally, damaging the image of both the Office and the Organisation unless things radically change -- and fast!

“The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity.”

--Andre Gide

Recent Techrights' Posts

Richard Stallman's Talk at Georgia Tech is Just 2 Days Away
We're still curious to see how malicious people (or trolls) in social control media will try to slant his talk as "bad"
The "Alicante Mafia" - Part VII - The Industrial Actions Began Yesterday, Here's Why
The "Alicante Mafia" might not last much longer
openai.com Traffic Said to Have Fallen 50% in the Past Three Months, Reports Say It Nearly Ran Out of Money to Borrow
After the slop frenzy all we'll have left is environmental destruction
 
Links 21/01/2026: "Snap Settles Lawsuit on Social Media Addiction" and Attempts in the US to Revive Software Patents
Links for the day
Links 21/01/2026: Microsoft 'Open' 'Hey Hi' in More Trouble, US Has "Brown Shirts" Problem
Links for the day
Yesterday Afternoon The Register MS Published Paid Microsoft SPAM Disguised as an Article About "AI PCs"
The Register MS cannot help itself, can it? [...] Follow the money.
Microsoft's XBox is in Effect Dead Already, Now It's a Streaming and Advertising Platform
Expect many layoffs soon
EPO's Web Site Misused for Propaganda About Illegal Kangaroo Courts to Distract From EPO Scandals and Judicial Crisis in Europe
UPC is illegal and unconstitutional
Gemini Links 21/01/2026: Edible Circuits and "Sayonara HTTP"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, January 20, 2026
IBM Hides Its Own Destruction (and Red Hat's)
It's like scenes out of '1984', which is what a now-famous advertisement from Apple compared IBM to
LLM Slop Not Dead Yet, Examples of Slop About "Linux"
We wish to see the totals down to zero
Links 20/01/2026: Cheeto Blackmails France Into 'Peace' While Looking to Annex EU, Mass Layoffs in Capgemini (Microsoft Reseller/Promoter) in France
Links for the day
Gemini Links 20/01/2026: Boxing and "Inbox Zero" Success
Links for the day
Windows and Slop Declining While Microsoft Silences Critics
Microsoft tries to suppress facts while faking 'demand' by imposing slop on everybody, everywhere
IBM Kills OzLabs, Signalling An Attack on Free Software (a Sign for Red Hat)
ibiblio also appears to have died (or experiences critical issues)
Red Hat Vice President Leaving After Nearly Two Decades
IBM's culture of secrecy is not compatible with Free software
Links 20/01/2026: "ChatGPT Health" (Latest Distraction From Being Insolvent) Flops and Raises Concerns, "The U.S. Military Faces a Reckoning on Greenland"
Links for the day
Rudeness and Vulgarity Won't Stop Journalism About Free Software
we seem to be on the right path
Readers Pleased With Layout Changes
Two days ago we began improving clarity and accessibility in the site
IBM Plans for Layoffs Becoming Clearer With "Employee Reviews"
Of course this impacts Red Hat as well
IBM is Outsourcing Red Hat's Fedora to Slop to 'Save Money'
If IBM cared about quality rather than alleged "cost savings" (cutting corners), it would assign more IBM staff to Fedora, but instead the exact opposite happened, with the likes of Cotton and Miller removed from the project
European Patent Office (EPO) Industrial Actions Formally Start in Two Hours
As per the latest (revised) action plan, today workers will slow down their work and limit patent grants
Microsoft Under Fresh Investigation by the Italian Competition Authority
In 2025 we kept a running tally of 30,000+ Microsoft layoffs, so 40k this year would not be unthinkable
The "Alicante Mafia" - Part VI - More Strikes Planned at the EPO, Starting This Month
Yesterday we said that friends of Berenguer or inside Berenguer's circle may have left
Gemini Links 20/01/2026: New Tea, Using a Roku at a Hotel, and "Voltage-Based Power Management for Any Raspberry Pi"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, January 19, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, January 19, 2026
If You Don't Want "Linux" to Become "Windows", Then Follow GNU
GAFAM isn't a friend of Linux; it's only a user in the same sense clients are "users" of a brothel
Links 19/01/2026: National Broadcasters on World or Local Affairs Up to a Week Ago
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/01/2026: Game Boy and "The Lounge" (IRC) for the Elderly
Links for the day
Slopfarms in Google News (at Least Three Today) With Fake 'Articles' About "Linux"
Google itself is trying to promote its own slop ("Overview") at the expense of original and credible sources
Links 19/01/2026: ChatGPT’s Defects and The Guardian on Why So-called "AI Companies Will Fail"
Links for the day
This is What the Slop Bubble Popping Can Look Like
Maybe not an overnight collapse, but getting there gradually
IBM Quiet About Its Plan for Red Hat Amid Accelerated Bluewashing
Something is going on at Red Hat
The "Alicante Mafia" - Part V - It Seems Like Some People Are Already Leaving "The Mafia"
they have a rough idea of what's coming
Microsoft Means War, Microsoft is on the Side of ICE
Microsoft, people-ready
More Confirmatory Rumours Regarding "Massive" Red Hat Layoffs
Ecosystem and sales said to be targeted
Proprietary UNIX is What We'll Have If IBM Red Hat Gets Its Way
IBM Red Hat wants to control everything, even if that means killing everybody
Free Software in Times of Peace (and Times of War, Too)
GAFAM and IBM are war companies
Founder of GNU/Linux (RMS) Speaks in US University (College) This Week
The auditorium has very high capacity and this is his "college comeback" talk in the United States
Office Meetings Are Most Useful to the Least Productive Workers
In my "office life" days I really didn't like meetings
LinuxSecurity and Linuxiac Are Still Slopfarms, Even Anthony Pell Does It
We suppose waiting another month or another year won't change a thing
Claim That the Board of Directors at IBM Isn't Happy With How the Company is Run
IBM tries to project an image of strength to the whole world, especially to its clients
Links 18/01/2026: Legal Trouble for xAI, Climate Concerns, Data Breaches and More
Links for the day
'Vibe Coding', Chatbots, and Other Bots (e.g. "Agents" Disguised as "Superintelligence") Aren't Saving You Time
False marketing, FOMO marketing tactics
Gemini Links 19/01/2026: Analog Cameras and Plucker in 2026, US Losing Acceptability in Europe
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, January 18, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, January 18, 2026