Bonum Certa Men Certa

Why Does the EPO Keep Praising People Who Promote Software Patents, Rewarding Them for Patent Thickets That Harm Software Developers?

Free mainboard



Summary: The EPO continues its troubling tradition of not only granting software patents but also offering glamour and prizes to people who are responsible for such an abomination

THE last post spoke of the EPO's strategy document from António Campinos. In it, software patents are being promoted, so why not rewarded as well?



We quickly alluded to "finalists for the European Inventor Award 2019" (warning: epo.org link). As the EPO put it in Twitter: "They revolutionise the world with ground-breaking inventions. They are the 2019 European #InventorAward finalists: http://bit.ly/EIAPopularPrize19 … Congratulations!"

"Some of them were responsible for fraud that killed a lot of people," I responded, pointing to coverage about Holmes (the EPO had since then deleted any traces of this connection).

Soon came a press release and some puff pieces, as well as videos like this one. Nationalism blinds corporate media, which overlooked corruption associated with these "awards". But to make matters worse, the EPO is once again (like last year; we covered it back then as well) rewarding/granting awards to people (or making them finalists) for software patents. As Henrion put it, quoting one of the finalists from the video: ""This is good for developers, because improvements for codecs are transparently shared" patents are toxic for software developers, there is code they are not allowed to write..."

In relation to the employer, Qualcomm, he wrote: "Qualcomm is probably the worst patent troll ever, 130 patents over "video compression", while those are just software patents... [...] EPO inventors and Math you cannot write on your keyboard..."

The EPO has meanwhile just called patents “IP”, a deliberate misnomer. This is how the EPO put it: "In recent years, we've witnessed strong demand for business-oriented IP training. That's why we're organising this seminar together with @IPRHelpdesk and @dkpto..." (Kongstad's old office, which apparently fired him months after we had studied his dodgy dealings).

"This is even more cynical than some of the recipients of Nobel prizes for peace."This morning the EPO kept retweeting all sorts of "media partners" and patent maximalists who mentioned its publicity stunt, whose finalists in past years were criminals, literally. As one put it: "The @EPOorg nominated Alexander van der Lely (CEO) and Karel van den Berg (Director Innovations) for the European Inventor Award 2019 in the category “Industry” for their fully automated milking system, Astronaut."

We have meanwhile noticed that the EPO organised an event in Portugal. How convenient for Mr. Campinos, who can probably visit some family on his way there, not to mention pass some EPO money to former colleagues and friends (maybe some day they will pay back somehow). About half of the Inventor Award ceremonies of Battistelli were held in France, including Battistelli's very own theatre. The selection criteria may seem spooky; it was like a one man's decision, there was nothing in the meeting minutes to suggest oversight existed.

The EPO later retweeted UK-IPO as saying: "Congratulations to British #engineers Richard Palmer & Philip Green who have been nominated for the European #InventorAward's Popular Prize."

Do they realise what this prize is now associated with? EPO corruption and politics, not science. See who got in last year [1, 2, 3]. It's frightening to see how poorly EPO budget gets managed and who is being awarded what (which prizes). Sometimes frauds and charlatans, sometimes criminals. In the process, moreover, there's money laundering and theft, too. Battistelli is lucky to have avoided jail until now; he's still housed in CEIPI, an institution which claims to be teaching laws, where he holds the highest position. This is even more cynical than some of the recipients of Nobel prizes for peace.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Confirmed in the Mainstream Media: A Lot of Microsoft "Workloads" Were Just LLM Slop (Helping to Fake Growth for Years, as Microsoft Had Paid "Open" "AI" to Become a "Client") and Demand is Rapidly Waning, Datacentres Canceled and/or Shut Down
Anything to facilitate further accounting fraud
Taiwan's Media Covers Closure of Microsoft's "AI" Lab, It's Time to Talk About the Gradual Death of Windows and Implosion of the "AI" Bubble
Earlier this week we showed that mostly Asian media had the 'nerve' to mention Microsoft silently shutting down its 'AI' lab
More Gains for GNU/Linux, Based on Web Surveys
the Steam site shows rapid growth for "Linux" this month
 
Indonesia: All-Time Highs for GNU/Linux
What's noteworthy right now is the growth of GNU/Linux
statCounter Says GNU/Linux Usage is Up Again (Internationally)
some preliminary April data
Only on April 1st Can the Free Software Foundation Associate With Microsoft's Open Source Initiative (OSI)
We saw some pranks that day linking the FSF to Microsoft (e.g. "endorsing" Windows)
IBM Gets Rid of Kelly Chambliss as Mass Layoffs Reported in IBM Consulting, IBM Loses Key Contracts/Graft
IBM Consulting has been in disarray lately
Slopwatch: Anti-Linux Articles, Not Even Written by Humans
Why aren't Web sites more vocal about this problem?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 02, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, April 02, 2025
Links 03/04/2025: Apple Fined Over Secret Surveillance, "Elegant Writer For A More Civilized Age"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 02/04/2025: Books and Cold Tea
Links for the day
Links 02/04/2025: More Layoffs, Nokia Again Takes Advantage of Illegal and Unconstitutional Patent Court With Nokia Staff as 'Judges'
Links for the day
Links 02/04/2025: Seizures and Returns to Windows of 24 Years Ago
Links for the day
LLM Slop Helps Obscure and Distort News About Layoffs (IBM, GAFAM)
It's hard to find accurate information
Links 02/04/2025: Microsoft Developers Are Threatening to Go on Strike, World Backup Day Noted
Links for the day
Gemini Protocol Has Growing Appeal (the Web Got Too Bloated and Full of LLM Slop)
For any "data plan" with bandwidth limits or "tiers" it would be cheaper to use/browse Geminispace
The Web Can Survive LLM Slop, But Only If We Collectively Shun and Discourage Serial Sloppers
Doing nothing ought not be a possibility
Amid Secret Shut-downs and Mass Layoffs at Microsoft (4 Waves of Layoffs in 3 Months of 2025) Some Microsoft Staff Expected to Go On Strike
workers going on strike
Gemini Links 02/04/2025: No more on Mastodon and Gemini Mention Script in Go
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, April 01, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, April 01, 2025
My Motion Disbarring or “Striking Off” Brett Wilson LLP for Enabling Violent Americans Who Try to Crush Microsoft Critics in the United Kingdom by Multiple SLAPPs
"Guns for hire" (for Microsoft people who received Microsoft salaries)
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Hijacked Again by Patent Litigation Industry, as President Cheeto Prioritises Aggressors
The "mafia" has taken over the "industry" and the Federal system (justice and constitutions trampled upon)
Ubuntu Slop and FUD Manufactured With LLMs and Funded (by Oneself) 'Studies'
Slop and FUD are ruining the Web
Gemini Links 01/04/2025: Games and More
Links for the day
Links 01/04/2025: Apple Fined $162M for Privacy Abuses, Disinformation Online a Growing Concern
Links for the day
Why We're Reporting Brett Wilson LLP for Apparently Misusing Their Licence to Protect American Microsofters Who Attack Women
For those who have not been keeping abreast
Newer Press Reports Confirm That Microsoft Shuts Down 'Hey Hi' (AI) Labs Despite All the Hype
The "hey hi" (AI) bubble is not sustainable
Links 01/04/2025: Mass Layoffs at Eidos and "Microsoft Pulls Back on Data Centers" (Demand Lacking); "Racist and Sexist" Slop From Microsoft
Links for the day
Stefano Maffulli and His Microsoft-Funded OSI Staff Are Killing the OSI and Killing "Open Source" (All for Money!)
This is far from over
Gemini Links 01/04/2025: XKCDpunk and worldclock.py
Links for the day
50 Years of Sabotage and a Gut Punch to Computer Science (and Science in General)
Will we get back to science-based computing rather than cult-like following?
Techrights Headlines as Semaphore
"If you are hearing this, thank you"
3 Months in 2025, 4 Waves of Mass Layoffs at Microsoft, Now Offices Shut Down Permanently
"A recent visit by the South China Morning Post confirmed that the office was dark, unoccupied, and had its logo removed."
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 31, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, March 31, 2025