“Out of the Muppet Show” is what a reader of ours called this video (apparently circulating internally right now). Also "pathetic", but again, such characterisations say a lot about the general atmosphere at the EPO nowadays. Once upon a time the EPO was renowned for its high quality of examination (and thus high-quality patents) and nowadays, even this week, some companies still brag about grants of EPs, perhaps not realising that the EPO is a production line of low-quality patents, insiders tell us (more on that another day). In this particular new example, Medigus says it "has received a Notice of Intention to Grant a Patent from the European Patent Office (EPO) for its micro ScoutCam miniature camera technology. [...] patent will be valid until September 16, 2030." We don't know if the EPO will even last that long (in its current form). Its management is treated as a laughing stock by its very own employees and there are massive financial losses, not mention brain drain. ⬆