03.14.17
Gemini version available ♊︎Unitary Patent (UPC) Misinformation in Spanish Media and EPO-Connected (Paid) Media That Lobbies Spain
FTI Consulting is how the EPO’s management is almost literally buying perceptions, as large corporations typically do, yielding fake news about the UPC and about itself (self-censorship included)
FTI Consulting for fracking. From FTI Consulting’s own brochure [PDF], bragging about helping to poison British people on behalf of big clients.
Summary: The EPO’s lobbying for the UPC seems to have not only corrupted English-speaking and French-speaking media (with a recent FTI Consulting deal to target German and Dutch media) but perhaps also Spanish media, whose language has a broader reach worldwide
THERE IS nothing that EPO management won’t do to get its way. It already drives some people to suicide. The EPO’s Investigative Unit (I.U.) was called 'gestapo' on Dutch television one year ago and when German media concurred it evoked the wrath of (maybe threats from) Team Battistelli.
“Media too has become a casualty of Battistelli and his notorious bags of money.”On Sunday we wrote about fake news about UPC in Spain, with horrible stuff like paid “pressers”. As we expected (but could not verify without understanding Spanish), it didn’t take long to find even coverage in Spanish, from publishers whose financial strings may or may not be connected to the massive PR budget Battistelli secretly allocated (repeatedly even, behind the scenes) to fracking lobbyists. Thankfully, some Spanish readers keep sending us more examples of that. One of them highlighted a new article and wrote: “Desperately Seeking Ratification “unitary patent aims to facilitate obtaining patents to innovative european SMEs” How so? #UPC mantras?”
This is the corresponding tweet that says: “No os perdáis el análisis de @JulioMiravalls La Patente Unitaria necesita a Londres desesperadamente | Innovadores http://www.elmundo.es/economia/2017/03/13/58c68bb146163fcb5b8b45cb.html …”
Media too has become a casualty of Battistelli and his notorious bags of money. Sometimes we have to pinch ourselves and remind ourselves that the EPO is based in civilised Munich, not some place like Harare, Zimbabwe. What on Earth is going on and why isn’t the EPO being raided by Interpol, Europol, or whatever was used to belatedly tackle corruption in FIFA? Not only European interests are being undermined but international interests too (for the enrichment of few crooked officials and affluent executives). It’s a class conundrum — the type of thing which TPP opponents habitually speak of (e.g. in relation to ISDS).
“…it didn’t take long to find even coverage in Spanish, from publishers whose financial strings may or may not be connected to the massive PR budget Battistelli…”Going back to the above tweet, it links to a mainstream publication in Spain. Is Spanish media playing the same game as over here? As Benjamin Henrion put it (in response to this article), “UPC means chaos, better stay outside, especially when their proponents lied saying it won’t allow swpats” (software patents).
IAM Media (of IAM ‘magazine’), which was paid by FTI Consulting, made a statement that was patently false, yet many people retweeted this and the tweet was never deleted. Latest from IAM is some more lobbying. Earlier today they published this non-news puff piece. The Editor in Chief pretends that SMEs in Spain want lots and lots of patents. Could this be any shallower? It certainly looks like veiled UPC lobbying in Spain. Just think of the timing. So IAM is pushing this non-news (and misrepresentation of SMEs) as recently as this morning (today), so again we cannot help but think of money (IAM was funded by the EPO’s PR firm for pro-UPC lobbying).
“So IAM is pushing this non-news (and misrepresentation of SMEs) as recently as this morning (today), so again we cannot help but think of money (IAM was funded by the EPO’s PR firm for pro-UPC lobbying).”It doesn’t take a genius to see what’s going on here. IAM is, at the same time, meddling in Germany, not just by shaming people (as it did in the past for UPC in Germany) but also misleading claims about a vote that means little or nothing; Germany cannot ratify the UPC without the UK doing it first (the lobbyists are working on that too).
“Germany is very unlikely to ratify before the UK does,” even IAM admitted. “UK ratification is still expected before the summer. But don’t stake your life on it!”
It’s not expected before summer. Stop repeating what you wish would happen (now they say “summer”, previously they said March 7th, so notice the pattern).
The cited tweet got deleted. They cannot help spreading fake news by linking to fake data and baseless claims, can they?
“They cannot help spreading fake news by linking to fake data and baseless claims, can they?”What extraordinary lobbying skills! Maybe it’s time for Joff Wild’s career change. He can quit pretending to be a journalist and cash in big time somewhere like Brussels. Maybe even Battistelli can find a salary for him. The EPO’s salaries are widely envied in the EU (exceeding even those of EU/EC officials).
We should note that the IP Kat has officially quit covering EPO scandals, which include manipulation of the media, threats to the media, and so on. “This may well change with the Unified Patent Court,” said this IP Kat comment the other day, “a UPC-style Fujifilm declaration, anyone?”
UPC means nothing but the EU shooting its own foot, for the benefit of few international corporations and their European patent lawyers. It’s a parasitic thing in nature and in practice.
“UPC means nothing but the EU shooting its own foot, for the benefit of few international corporations and their European patent lawyers.”Watchtroll (patent maximalist in the US), incidentally, currently helps UPC lobbyist Wouter Pors pretend that the Unitary Patent is all done and dusted. These are lobbying tactics at play; shame on Watchtroll, but then again we expect it to root for ruinous laws that would mean nothing but a sea of litigation. This ‘article’ is already being promoted by software patents proponents. They’re not even from Europe.
Regarding Germany, there is now this article from Heise about it. Henrion wrote about the above article (a solid translation might help) that “Heise mentions the petition against the UPC in the UK, coming days we will have to go physical” (unlikely to actually change the outcome, based on recent such actions in Westminster and elsewhere).
“We remind readers that Jo Johnson was ‘supposed’ to ratify the UPC a week ago, if only Team UPC’s lies had any bearing…”We wrote about Britain on Sunday, taking note of the latest lobbying for the UPC down in London [1, 2]. Battistelli’s British puff pieces that read like a copy-paste job are being cited by the UPC hopefuls. Terrible, shallow fake news; that’s what these puff piece boil down to. FTI has massive operations/presence down there in London (for historical and commercial reasons), so it’s hard to tell how these things are being arranged or set up (if at all). It’s only reasonable to have suspicions.
We remind readers that Jo Johnson was ‘supposed’ to ratify the UPC a week ago, if only Team UPC’s lies had any bearing…
He didn’t ratify anything, however, in spite of the extreme pressure including Battistelli’s lobbying visit, which yielded a press release and a photo (only from the EPO).
“Follow the money and you may find Battistelli wasting stakeholders’ money, throwing wads of cash from a tall building to willing, corruptible ‘journalists’ who are willing to play along with FTI Consulting and Team Battistelli.”Those poor UPC proponents have apparently not disseminated enough lies yet — enough to convince politicians to blindly sign documents that Team UPC itself had prepared, and in a rush. ‘Poor’ greedy liars. Enemies of British and European democracy… they see Brexit becoming a reality (more progress has just been made, not that I am pro-Brexit) and Jo Johnson didn’t even ratify the Unitary Patent a week ago like Team UPC had said he would.
“And what about the Unitary Patent,” one person wrote the other day. “How can we have enhanced cooperation (Article 20) if we’re leaving?”
The UPC cannot happen here in Britain. It won’t happen in Spain either, hence the need for propaganda and fake news. Even Germany is now being targeted with fake news. Follow the money and you may find Battistelli wasting stakeholders’ money, throwing wads of cash from a tall building to willing, corruptible ‘journalists’ who are willing to play along with FTI Consulting and Team Battistelli. █
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