António Campinos, self-styled "Child of the Carnation Revolution". But does anybody really fall for the cheesy PR?

Summary: Report on the failing presidency of the Franco-Portuguese tyrant, who is reportedly not interested in staying at the EPO when his term end

It is abundantly clear by now that the appointment of Campinos as Battistelli's successor didn't usher in any "Carnation Revolution" at the EPO.

Back in April 2019, on the Portuguese "Day of Liberty", Techrights reported on "Wilted Carnations in EPOnia".

Not a lot has changed since then.

"After an initial honeymoon period when he was given the benefit of doubt, Campinos is now clearly perceived by the majority of EPO staff as perpetuating substantially the same management approach pioneered by Battistelli."In fact, two years down the road in 2021, those EPOnian carnations are looking even more wilted.

After an initial honeymoon period when he was given the benefit of doubt, Campinos is now clearly perceived by the majority of EPO staff as perpetuating substantially the same management approach pioneered by Battistelli.

Of course business is now conducted with a slightly more civilised and refined veneer - apart from occasional episodes of "drunk and disorderly" behaviour and temper tantrums.

But although the form is somewhat different, very little has changed in substance.

Reports over on the Kluwer Patent Blog confirm that the EPO's unabated transition "from Patentamt to Oktroybureau" and that the ongoing erosion of working conditions commenced under Battistelli continues apace, showing no sign of reversal or even slow-down under Campinos.

Quite the contrary. Campinos appears intent on exploiting the opportunities provided by the Covid-19 pandemic in order to impose the dystopian "New Normal" future dreamed up by his management team, in which the notorious Elodie Bergot still plays a prominent role. A t this stage Campinos is well past the halfway mark of his five-year term (warning: epo.org link) of office which - unless he seeks and obtains an extension - will expire in June 2023.

EPO insiders previously reported that Campinos was not interested in seeking an extension to his term of office at the EPO. It was understood that his game plan was to return to a position somewhere in the EU administrative apparatus, perhaps resuming control over the EUIPO if he could manage to persuade the current incumbent Christian Archambeau to move aside. But his longer term ambitions in this regard were never entirely clear.

However - thanks to Covid-19 – Campinos can now manage his EPOnian fiefdom remotely from Alicante or Lisbon. So he may be reconsidering his options on that front.

EPO staff continues to oppose the phony austerity politics of Campinos

In the meantime, EPO staff continues to oppose the phony austerity politics of Campinos and his minions, despite the unfavourable environment in which staff representatives and staff union official are currently obliged to operate.

The open question right now is whether or not Campinos might be facing into what the Portuguese call a "Verão Quente" or "hot summer" if the simmering discontent about the low levels of institutional justice and integrity at EPOnia starts to boil over.

A one-day strike back in December of last year could well be a warning sign of the shape of things to come.

As they say in Portugal, sometimes the only solution is disobedience. ⬆

Sometimes the only solution is disobedience