Reference: A Controversial Surveillance Firm Was Granted a Powerful Encryption Certificate

Summary: The European Patent Office's (EPO) controversial relationships with firms such as Control Risks and Blue Coat Systems are a reminder that it's no ordinary institution and should not be regarded as law-abiding, either

THE EPO's business partnership with Blue Coat Systems isn't new to us. We have already covered it in the following older articles:

• Closer Look at Players in Battistelli's Information War: Part II (BlueCoat)
• Warning: EPO Surveillance May Have Just Gotten Even More Intrusive
• How the European Patent Office (Management) is Spying on Its Very Own Staff

It's neither news nor a surprise that the EPO handles its own staff like authoritarian tyrants treat 'their' citizens. At the EPO, for example, surveillance has already crept into workers' private homes (e.g. medical visits).

"It's neither news nor a surprise that the EPO handles its own staff like authoritarian tyrants treat 'their' citizens."The following comments are worth adding in light of information we got (and never got around to publishing). The business relationship with Blue Coat Systems isn't entirely transparent; We couldn't find any tender notice in the relevant year/s concerning the provision of a staff study, either. Yet the EPO demands competitive bids for all sorts of services, such as providing Blue Coat hardware and software, carpets, folders, or customer surveys. These tenders typically get published in a Microsoft Web site, LinkedIn (as if the EPO cannot afford its own platform for such business purposes).

Judging based on tenders found on the EU's TED (Tender Electronic Daily) system^*, the BlueCoat stuff does show up once ("Supplies - 362318-2015 - TED Tenders Electronic Daily -- BlueCoat"). There's no indication this was ever renewed (or discontinued), but we can assume EPO money-flow in this evil company's direction. Are EPO users (stakeholders) OK with their money going into these pockets? ⬆ _____ ^* TED isn't ideal; there's lots of room for improvement in fact. Once a user went through the hoops of registering for TED (expect to have to change the password every quarter. Why?), entering "european and patent" under the "Authority name" does the trick. Checking the "archives" control lets you see past tenders.