Photo credit: Alicante Press
MR. António Campinos came from the area of trademarks (EUIPO), which is used heavily by the fashion industry along with copyright law. Nowadays the European Patent Office (EPO) grants all sorts of crazy patents on life and nature, especially when they get genetically modified (even by natural means like breeding). That's crazy enough; examiners of the EPO can understand why that's unethical. Even the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is rather strict about those sorts of things, but the EPO cares about nothing but so-called 'production' (especially after 2010, i.e. since Benoît Battistelli came, ushering in software patents as well, another thing that the USPTO is hesitant about, more so because of 35 U.S.C. €§ 101).
"Your boss Mr. Campinos is being dressed up and wrapped up in ridiculous gowns and showered with voyeurism awards by the people whose agenda he serves -- the same people whom his father fought until his early death in Africa."How many people know about patents in clothing, including shoes? A recent dispute between Adidas and Nike brought that back to light (half a dozen articles in last week's and last month's Daily Links covered that). Imagine being a scientist, enlisted to examine patents on fashion items instead of something like physics and engineering. This is where today's EPO is heading, for it wrongly asserts that the more patents it grants, the better off Europe (and science) will be. That's rubbish. It is the sort of rubbish promoted in 'news' sites that are owned and controlled by law firms. They profit from such illusions.
Our cordial message to EPO examiners is, engage in civil and polite dissent if not disobedience. The monopolists will never cease expansion of patent scope, provided there's no pushback (from the public, public officials, and workers). It's not about innovation and it's definitely not about economic benefit (except their own). Your boss Mr. Campinos is being dressed up and wrapped up in ridiculous gowns and showered with voyeurism awards by the people whose agenda he serves -- the same people whom his father fought until his early death in Africa. ⬆