05.08.17
Death of ‘IP’ Media: Front Groups of Microsoft Described as “Representing SME Developers” by Bristows
Same people who lied to us about UPC being beneficial to SMEs (the very opposite is true)
Summary: Fake groups (AstroTurfing) whose purpose is to hijack and misrepresent the views of one’s competition (e.g. SMEs) are being echoed if not amplified by Annsley Merelle Ward at IP Kat this morning, distracting from real representatives of SMEs (like the European Digital SME Alliance)
THE state of IP Kat has gotten so bad that it’s not even amusing. Now that there is very major news at the EPO, namely the withdrawal of Battistelli’s ‘boss’ [1, 2], nothing at all is being said (nor will be said).
Here is a new comment about it:
Seems like the sands are shifting at the top of the Administrative Council …
Translations and Speculations About Jesper Kongstad’s Planned Departure From the EPO
And what curious timing !
Just before the kick-off of the next Presidential election campaign …
All we need now are some hacked e-mails or maybe a USB stick with compromising data …
What a shame that the IPKat no longer reports on these exciting developments in the land of EPOnia …
Well, the Bristows-run IP Kat has been busy marketing the UPC, patent trolls in the UK, FRAND and so on. In other words, it stands for pretty much everything that harms British companies, which already complain about this. Microsoft has long exploited FRAND (while lobbying for it) as a tool for combating adoption of Free/Libre open source software. That’s no secret. It’s a widely-known fact and we reported/wrote about it many times around 2008-2010. We also published leaked material related to this (demonstrating how Microsoft front groups had been altering laws to promote FRAND behind closed doors).
“…the Bristows-run IP Kat has been busy marketing the UPC, patent trolls in the UK, FRAND and so on.”This morning, to make things even worse, Annsley Merelle Ward took it a step further by spreading a lie about Association for Competitive Technology (ACT), Microsoft’s villainous proxy for a couple of decades. She was saying it’s “pro-FRAND tech trade association representing SME developers,” but that’s an utter lie. SMEs are not pro-FRAND. Microsoft is. And this is yet another attempt by ACT to hijack the voices of one’s opposition/competition. What is the content of this so-called ‘article’? It’s just a copy-paste job for this AstroTurfing front. Incredible!
“Microsoft has long exploited FRAND (while lobbying for it) as a tool for combating adoption of Free/Libre open source software.”Look what IP Kat has become! Is IP Kat now reprinting and amplifying Microsoft lobbying fronts? Coming from an author who professed admiration for Microsoft’s chief patent extortionist? What next? Guest posts from Microsoft?
This issue of Microsoft propaganda isn’t limited to IP Kat (Microsoft was the sole chief sponsor of that recent event Bristows flew to). There are similar issues with Microsoft-connected media like IAM. They’re an extensive network of lobbying, not news or information. It makes it hard to trust all sorts of publications, for quite a few of them receive money that affects their coverage. Someone recently advised us to speak to Taz, a German publication which may be interested in covering EPO scandals. “I don’t know if I can trust Taz with material,” I replied, as “IAM betrayed some before.” Back then we weren’t quite aware of IAM’s deep ties to the EPO, including financial strings. “I don’t know who owns Taz,” I continued. “After the experience with IAM I am very picky where I send information/stuff.” Yes, I do try to encourage the media to cover EPO scandals and often these endeavors are successful.
“This issue of Microsoft propaganda isn’t limited to IP Kat (Microsoft was the sole chief sponsor of that recent event Bristows flew to).”In summary, here’s a word of caution. Whatever IP Kat published under the name “Merpel”, it’s no longer the same Kat and media should in general be treated very cautiously unless one knows who is really behind it and where loyalties lie. One sure thing is, IAM is still very much in bed with the EPO, even if it doesn’t write much about it. See what happened in Korea a couple of weeks ago. █
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