Bonum Certa Men Certa

The EPO is Still a Software Patents Propaganda Machine and Thus an Enemy of Software Developers in Europe

Speaking as a software developer myself...

Guerra al Capitol



Summary: What today's EPO boils down to is a boil on the face of programmers because it lacks the tact to even shallowly hide its eagerness to grant patents on algorithms in defiance of everything from common sense to law and caselaw

IT IS hardly a secret that the European Patent Office (EPO) nowadays works for patent trolls and massive companies, so half a dozen times week it must pretend that it exists "for SMEs" (here is an example from yesterday; there was another one earlier today and we'll say more about that in our next post). Unlike the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the EPO cannot be sued and it effectively operates outside the law, so who can put an end to injustices? Apparently nobody. And nothing. Not even the highest court next to a bunch of international courts on Dutch territories. What is going on? How can Battistelli and Campinos keep promoting software patents in Europe even though courts, Parliament, the public and so on all oppose that? Therein lies one problem among many with the EPO. Examiners, we might add, are well aware of this problem. They are sufferers, not benefactors, unlike their managers.



"Examiners, we might add, are well aware of this problem. They are sufferers, not benefactors, unlike their managers."Cutting straight to the chase, this post is an outline of new examples of the EPO promoting software patents. Of course they cleverly dodge this term, as does the USPTO. Mark Nowotarski, over at Watchtroll (combative pro-software patents site), published the following headline this week: "AI Patents Make a Comeback at USPTO, Finance Patents Are Still Struggling"

Familiar? They too misuse the term "AI", just like the EPO. He just means software patents, but they're being disguised as "AI"; courts would toss these patents straight in the trash if they got asserted in courts.

Decline in quality of European Patents is a real thing. It's a thing. It's real! Earlier today I reread the latest nonsense from Campinos, in which he made up some laughable claims of improvement in quality; he didn't even name the methods. Nothing. Some very precise number was named without anything to back that up. Nothing.

Here comes Battistelli's French 'economist', who has been promoting software patents under the guise of "4IR", even in the Gazette. This is what the EPO said about him today: "Yann Meniere, chief economist of the ⁦ @EPOorg⁩, delivering the opening keynote of today’s #IPBCEurope in front of a sell-out crowd in Paris. pic.twitter.com/NqpvBIPbmo"

"He just means software patents, but they're being disguised as "AI"; courts would toss these patents straight in the trash if they got asserted in courts."And yesterday the EPO wrote the following about him (see image): "China and the Republic of Korea are growing particularly strongly in ICT-related patent applications at the EPO."

Well, "ICT-related patent applications" are just software patents that the EPO's examiners must not grant if they follow the EPC rather than their management (which flagrantly violates the EPC). So the supposed growth is faked.

The EPO has also just named "medtech" again, in relation to a conference that promotes software patents as "medical" and "for SMEs" (we wrote about it many times before). The EPO asked: Which #medtech inventions can be patented and what are some effective IP strategies to optimise their commercialisation? We'll be discussing that and more here: https://bit.ly/2E5l03D" (the link makes it abundantly clear that algorithms are involved).

"These people openly promote software patents in Europe and the EPO not only links to Watchtroll but also does exclusive interviews with Watchtroll -- a truly disturbing tactical decision."Meanwhile (also today) Watchtroll has advertised a new "webinar" that promotes software patent in Europe by calling these "Computer Implemented Inventions"; behind the stunt there's a familiar large law firm -- one we wrote about many times before -- and this is their abstract: "Under EPO practice considerations for what is technical and what is not technical are intrinsically bound up with assessment of inventive step: the problem to be solved must be technical and only technical features can contribute to inventive step. In addition, the Boards of Appeal have on occasion attributed a high level of skill to the person skilled in the art in the field of computer science. In this webinar, we will discuss the latest EPO case law on separating the technical from the non-technical and inventive step issues arising in specific areas of technology, such as machine learning and simulation."

As Benjamin Henrion noted, this is their agenda:

* The “notional business person” and her role in examining claims * Effective arguments for inventive step * Machine learning inventions * Inventions using blockchains or distributed ledgers * Simulation and modelling, including the recent referral to the Enlarged Board of Appeal

We wrote about that last item about half a dozen times this month. Will all software patents be voided? Not likely due to lack of independence and thus deficient impartiality.

EPO management controls everything, even judges.

These people openly promote software patents in Europe and the EPO not only links to Watchtroll but also does exclusive interviews with Watchtroll -- a truly disturbing tactical decision. The EPO is actively liaising with people who attack judges whose rulings are prohibitive (e.g. on software patents). When it comes to assessing patent quality, the EPO bribes publishers like IAM and then cites IAM 'studies' or 'surveys' that celebrate EPO 'quality'. This is what the EPO has become. Is it broken and corrupt beyond repair?

Recent Techrights' Posts

Comparing U.E.F.I. to B.I.O.S. (Bloat and Insecurity to K.I.S.S.)
By Sami Tikkanen
New 'Slides' From Stallman Support (stallmansupport.org) Site
"In celebration of RMS's birthday, we've been playing a bit. We extracted some quotes from the various articles, comments, letters, writings, etc. and put them in the form of a slideshow in the home page."
Thailand: GNU/Linux Up to 6% of Desktops/Laptops, According to statCounter
Desktop Operating System Market Share Thailand
António Campinos is Still 'The Fucking President' (in His Own Words) After a Fake 'Election' in 2022 (He Bribed All the Voters to Keep His Seat)
António Campinos and the Administrative Council, whose delegates he clearly bribed with EPO budget in exchange for votes
Adrian von Bidder, homeworking & Debian unexplained deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
 
GNOME GUADEC 2022 & Debian Albanian women trafficked to Mexico?
Reprinted with permission from the Free Software Fellowship
Sainsbury's: It Takes Us Up to Two Days to Respond to Customers Upon Escalation (and Sometimes Even More Than Two Days)
It not only does groceries but also many other things, even banking
People Don't Just Kill Themselves (Same for Other Animals)
And recent reports about Boeing whistleblower John Barnett
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 18, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, March 18, 2024
Suicide Cluster Cover-up tactics & Debian exposed
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 19/03/2024: A Society That Lost Focus and Abandoning Social Control Media
Links for the day
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE: Plagiarism & Child labour in YH4F
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Linux Foundation Boasting About Being Connected to Bill Gates
Examples of boasting about the association
Alexandre Oliva's Article on Monstering Cults
"I'm told an earlier draft version of this post got published elsewhere. Please consider this IMHO improved version instead."
[Meme] 'Russian' Elections in Munich (Bavaria, Germany)
fake elections
Sainsbury's to Techrights: Yes, Our Web Site Broke Down, But We Cannot Say Which Part or Why
Windows TCO?
Plagiarism: Axel Beckert (ETH Zurich) & Debian Developer list hacking
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 18/03/2024: Putin Cements Power
Links for the day
Flashback 2003: Debian has always had a toxic culture
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Sainsbury’s Epic Downtime Seems to be Microsoft's Fault and Might Even Constitute a Data Breach (Legal Liability)
one of Britain's largest groceries (and beyond) chains
[Meme] You Know You're Winning the Argument When...
EPO management starts cursing at everybody (which is what's happening)
Catspaw With Attitude
The posts "they" complain about merely point out the facts about this harassment and doxing
'Clown Computing' Businesses Are Waning and the Same Will Happen to 'G.A.I.' Businesses (the 'Hey Hi' Fame)
decrease in "HEY HI" (AI) hype
Free Software Needs Watchdogs, Too
Gentle lapdogs prevent self-regulation and transparency
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE analogous to identity fraud
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 18/03/2024: LLM Inference and Can We Survive Technology?
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, March 17, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, March 17, 2024
Links 17/03/2024: Microsoft Windows Shoves Ads Into Third-Party Software, More Countries Explore TikTok Ban
Links for the day
Molly Russell suicide & Debian Frans Pop, Lucy Wayland, social media deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Our Plans for Spring
Later this year we turn 18 and a few months from now our IRC community turns 16
Open Invention Network (OIN) Fails to Explain If Linux is Safe From Microsoft's Software Patent Royalties (Charges)
Keith Bergelt has not replied to queries on this very important matter
RedHat.com, Brought to You by Microsoft Staff
This is totally normal, right?
USPTO Corruption: People Who Don't Use Microsoft Will Be Penalised ~$400 for Each Patent Filing
Not joking!
The Hobbyists of Mozilla, Where the CEO is a Bigger Liability Than All Liabilities Combined
the hobbyist in chief earns much more than colleagues, to say the least; the number quadrupled in a matter of years
Jim Zemlin Says Linux Foundation Should Combat Fraud Together With the Gates Foundation. Maybe They Should Start With Jim's Wife.
There's a class action lawsuit for securities fraud
Not About Linux at All!
nobody bothers with the site anymore; it's marketing, and now even Linux
Links 17/03/2024: Abuses Against Human Rights, Tesla Settlement (and Crash)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 16, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, March 16, 2024
Under Taliban, GNU/Linux Share Nearly Doubled in Afghanistan, Windows Sank From About 90% to 68.5%
Suffice to say, we're not meaning to imply Taliban is "good"
Debian aggression: woman asked about her profession
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 17/03/2024: Winter Can't Hurt Us Anymore and Playstation Plus
Links for the day