Bonum Certa Men Certa

The European Patent Office (EPO) Carelessly Shows the Only 'Small' 'Businesses' It Serves Are Law Firms and Patent Trolls

Related: The EPO is Still Violating the EPC Every Day

Yes. We're here in Ireland. No! Don't tell them we're here to help lawyers from London!



Summary: The façade of EPO 'caring' for SMEs cannot stick if the EPO continues along this same trajectory, which merely reveals the nature of so-called 'businesses' EPO managers truly support (and profit from 'on the side')

THE LATEST bunch of daily links (or Daily Links -- a tradition older than a decade here), with in-line editorial comments, speaks regarding anti-Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) 'scholars' whose sole goal is scuttling quality oversight; they try to manipulate the Federal Circuit into discrediting PTAB judges. Does that sound familiar? Well, haven't we got an eerily similar problem in Europe? To certain people the sole goal of any patent office should be to grant as many patents as possible and courts need to facilitate as many lawsuits as possible. We know who profits from that: law (litigation) firms.



"WIPO already self-nukes (or shoots its own foot) by celebrating millions of low-quality Chinese patents simply because these help perpetuate the 'endless growth' pipe dream. "Frankly, the firms that play along (in this agenda) dig their own grave; they damage their collective credibility and put at risk the world's patent system/s. WIPO already self-nukes (or shoots its own foot) by celebrating millions of low-quality Chinese patents simply because these help perpetuate the 'endless growth' pipe dream.

Patents and innovation/inventions are not the same thing. Inherently, patents are temporary monopolies, granted in exchange for publication. Yesterday we saw this new press release boasting about the EPO "granting it a monopoly of exploitation..."

Yes, rarely does a company admit so openly, in a paid-for press release, what such patents are:

After the United States, the European Patent Office (EPO) has just awarded Spineway a patent for its Mont-Blanc MIS range, granting it a monopoly of exploitation and the protection of its innovation in nearly 40 countries for a period of 20 years. This recognition confirms the innovative nature of its MIS range, marking an important step for its redeployment.


We're sure that EPO examiners (or examiners elsewhere as well) very well know what patents are, how they work, and why an overabundance of them is a negative -- not a positive -- thing. It's common sense and it has been talked about for many decades if not several centuries.

Notice how, in the above press release at least, words like monopoly and exploitation are used. Did a law firm advise this company (paid or unpaid consultation) before emitting that statement?

"We're sure that EPO examiners (or examiners elsewhere as well) very well know what patents are, how they work, and why an overabundance of them is a negative -- not a positive -- thing."Law firms aren't honest; they tend to lie a lot. Aside from words like "protection" or "property" they also resort to words like "assets" (referring to mere ideas) and call monopolies "rights" -- as if one has some natural right to exclude others from competing. This morning we quoted one such law firm, Phillips & Leigh. It's not merely a firm but a very large company that makes nothing; the company is expressing happiness about European Patent Office (EPO) management breaking its own law to allow software patents in Europe (even the US, post-35 U.S.C. €§ 101, barely allows any!). Read all about Phillips & Leigh's latest and the "SME" 'study' -- the study of António Campinos -- maintaining the same lies Battistelli had spread.

World Intellectual Property Review, or WIPR for short, is already spreading these EPO lies for the EPO's management. It's not a news site but a litigation propaganda platform, as its recent track record shows. No EPO scandals are covered there anymore; they haven't doone so in years. They also lost (or fired) writers who covered these issues. Journalism isn't their goal; the business model is propping up the illusions or lies law firms want the public to believe.

"Journalism isn't their goal; the business model is propping up the illusions or lies law firms want the public to believe."Journalism would be greatly harmed it if was reduced to mere 'tweets', especially ones from the EPO itself. Let's examine what the EPO wrote yesterday alone. It's as laughable as always. Almost every tweet contained the misleading term "IP", but let's look past that minor detail. "New study released by the EPO’s Chief Economist," the EPO tweeted. It's just another bundle of old lies 'refreshed'/rehashed. He is still lying for Battistelli and lying to everyone in Europe. It's an insult to everybody's intelligence, including EPO employees. Another tweet then said: "SMEs commercially exploit two thirds of their inventions. For more findings on the impact of European patents on SMEs’ commercial success, have a look at our new study..."

So-called 'study'. Also look who's promoting it! A so-called EPO 'economist' (a Battistelli-appointed liar that uses veneer of "economist"/"economics" to promote bad policy), doing photo ops with front groups of patent trolls. "Fiona Lesi" (LESI) wrote: "Thomas Bereuter and Yann Meniere of ⁦ @EPOorg⁩ at the start of the EPO/⁦ @LESIntl⁩ high growth tech conference in Dublin today - great programme & speakers" (photo added). The EPO obviously retweeted this and then continued with this: "@EPOorg and #LESinternationalr High Growth Technology Business Conference in #dublin kicked off by Yann Méniére and Thomas Bereuter of the #EPO. Setting the scene for the day."

"Now they lie to us, pretending that they cherish "SMEs"..."Another EPO retweet: "Full house at the ⁦ @EPOorg⁩ @LESIntl @LESBandI Enterprise Ireland High growth tech conference in Dublin - speaking today on behalf of @Inngot on tools to help identify, manage and value your IP"

"Heartwarming to see EPO alongside front groups of patent trolls," I responded, "because that helps reveal just whose interests EPO keeps pushing this past decade or so (at Europe's expense)..."

Now they lie to us, pretending that they cherish "SMEs"...

Don't ask them to actually define that term; as people pointed out, critiquing such past 'studies', they cherry-pick a very particular type of so-called 'SMEs'... hardly a representative set. That's because, to EPO management living in one particular nonscientific bubble, facts do not matter. Facts often turn out to be an inconvenience.

Recent Techrights' Posts

[Video] What We've Learned About Debian From Emeritus Debian Developer Daniel Pocock
pressure had been put on us (by Debian people and their employer/s) and as a result we did not republish Debian material for a number of years
Bruce Perens & Debian public domain trademark promise
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Links 28/04/2024: Shareholders Worry "AI" Hype Brings No Income, Money Down the Drain
Links for the day
Lawyer won't lie for Molly de Blanc & Chris Lamb (mollamby)
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, April 27, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, April 27, 2024
Links 27/04/2024: Spying Under Fire, Intel in Trouble Again
Links for the day
Lucas Kanashiro & Debian/Canonical/Ubuntu female GSoC intern relationship
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Pranav Jain & Debian, DebConf, unfair rent boy rumors
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Links 27/04/2024: Kaiser Gave Patients' Data to Microsoft, "Microsoft Lost ‘Dream Job’ Status"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 27/04/2024: Sunrise Photos and Slow Productivity
Links for the day
Microsoft: Our "Goodwill" Gained Over 51 Billion Dollars in the Past Nine Months Alone, Now "Worth" as Much as All Our Physical Assets (Property and Equipment)
The makeup of a Ponzi scheme where the balance sheet has immaterial nonsense
Almost 2,700 New Posts Since Upgrading to Static Site 7 Months Ago, Still Getting More Productive Over Time
We've come a long way since last autumn
FSFE (Ja, Das Gulag Deutschland) Has Lost Its Tongue
Articles/month
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 26, 2024
IRC logs for Friday, April 26, 2024
Overpaid lawyer & Debian miss WIPO deadline
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Brian Gupta & Debian: WIPO claim botched, suspended
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Microsoft's XBox is Dying (For Second Year in a Row Over 30% Drop in Hardware Sales)
they boast about fake numbers or very deliberately misleading numbers that represent two companies, not one
Ian Jackson & Debian reject mediation
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
[Meme] Granting a Million Monopolies in Europe (to Non-European Companies) at Europe's Expense
Financialization of the EPO
Salary Adjustment Procedure at the EPO Challenged
the EPO must properly compensate staff in order to attract and retain suitably skilled examiners
How to get selected for Outreachy internships
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Links 26/04/2024: Surveillance Abundant, Restoring Net Neutrality Rules (US)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/04/2024: uConsole and EXWM and stdu 1.0.0
Links for the day
Red Hat Corporate Communications is "Red" Now
Also notice they offer just two options: MICROSOFT or... MICROSOFT!
Links 26/04/2024: XBox Sales Have Collapsed, Facebook's Shares Collapse Too
Links for the day
Albanian women, Brazilian women & Debian Outreachy racism under Chris Lamb
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Microsoft-Funded 'News' Site: XBox Hardware Revenue Declined by 31%
Ignore the ludicrous media spin
Mark Shuttleworth, Elio Qoshi & Debian/Ubuntu underage girls
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Karen Sandler, Outreachy & Debian Money in Albania
Reprinted with permission from disguised.work
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 25, 2024
IRC logs for Thursday, April 25, 2024
Links 26/04/2024: Facebook Collapses, Kangaroo Courts for Patents, BlizzCon Canceled Under Microsoft
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/04/2024: Music, Philosophy, and Socialising
Links for the day