Bonum Certa Men Certa

The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part VIII: Perfidious Albion and Pusillanimous Hibernia

Series parts:

  1. The EPO's Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part I: Let the Sunshine In!
  2. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part II: A “Unanimous” Endorsement?
  3. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part III: Three Missing Votes
  4. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part IV: The Founding States
  5. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part V: Germany Says “Ja”
  6. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part VI: A Distinct Lack of Dutch Courage
  7. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part VII: Luxembourgish Laxity
  8. YOU ARE HERE ☞ Perfidious Albion and Pusillanimous Hibernia


UKIPO
The delegates from the UKIPO certainly didn't make life better for EPO staff.



Summary: Enablers of Benoît Battistelli and current enablers of António Campinos are explained based on their track record in the UK, Ireland, and Europe

As we have already seen, the delegations from the EPO's main host states, Germany and the Netherlands, voted in favour of the controversial "Strike Regulations" in June 2013.



In this part we will take a look at the UK delegation which at the time in question was headed by UKIPO Director John Alty accompanied by his deputy, Sean Dennehey.

John Alty and Sean Dennehey
The UK delegation: John Alty and his deputy Sean Dennehey.



It's worth recalling that the UK Patent and Trademark Office - as the UKIPO was previously known - was one of the first of Margaret Thatcher's Next Steps agencies.

"As high-level mandarins in the post-Thatcherite UK civil service, Alty and Dennehey are likely to have been in sympathy with Battistelli's plans to crush the EPO's staff union."Back in the day, proposals to fully privatise the Patent Office were discussed but ultimately rejected. The end result was an "executive agency" housed within the department of Trade and Industry, but with some degree of financial independence and a daunting array of "performance goals".

Thus, the UKIPO was set up, complete with its own citizen charter, a well-paid chief executive officer, and most importantly, a license to operate outside of British civil service and other administrative rules.

As high-level mandarins in the post-Thatcherite UK civil service, Alty and Dennehey are likely to have been in sympathy with Battistelli's plans to crush the EPO's staff union.

After all, long before Battistelli, Thatcher's policy advisors were referring to trade unions as "a politicised mafia" and were scheming to "erode trade union membership". The Thatcherite era in the UK saw the introduction of some of the most constrictive trade union laws in the world.

It is known that the UK delegates met with UK staff at the EPO on the margins of the quarterly Administrative Council meetings and were fully briefed about the excesses of the Battistelli régime. But rumour has it that Battistelli managed to "soften up" the UK delegates with the promise of some kind of "bilateral cooperation activities".

"For some time afterwards, Dennehey continued as Deputy Chief Executive of the UKIPO and in March 2018 he accompanied his new boss Tim Moss on a visit to Team Battistelli in Munich..."Alty left the UKIPO in July 2016 to become Director General of Trade Policy at the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) where he is now Interim Permanent Secretary.

Dennehey succeeded Alty as head of the UKIPO on an ad interim basis between July 2016 and May 2017 before the current incumbent Tim Moss took over.

For some time afterwards, Dennehey continued as Deputy Chief Executive of the UKIPO and in March 2018 he accompanied his new boss Tim Moss on a visit to Team Battistelli in Munich "to discuss recent developments in patents and co-operation between the two offices". (warning: epo.org link)

Battistelli with Sean Dennehey
Requena, Lutz, UKIPO CEO Tim Moss, Battistelli and UKIPO Deputy CEO Sean Dennehey in Munich (March 2018)



Dennehey seems to be rather publicity shy and it's almost impossible to find a photo of him on the UKIPO website.

"Whatever about his "services to intellectual property", it's clear that Dennehey didn't earn any awards for trying to protect the fundamental rights of EPO staff."But luckily the website of the National Copyright Administration of the People’s Republic of China (NCAC) provides some nice photos of him on a junket to the opening ceremony of the 6th China International Copyright Expo held in Guangzhou in December 2016.

Like Battistelli and Lutz, Dennehey seems to have been more at home rubbing shoulders with Chinese mandarins and their Communist overlords than complying with his duty of care towards EPO staff and his obligation to respect and uphold the rule of law in an international organisation like the EPO.

Dennehey retired from the UKIPO at the end of March 2018.

Earlier that year in January it was announced [PDF] that he had made it to the New Year’s Honours list where he had been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for "services to intellectual property".

Sean Dennehey CBE
Sean Dennehey – awarded a CBE for "services to intellectual property" in January 2018.



Whatever about his "services to intellectual property", it's clear that Dennehey didn't earn any awards for trying to protect the fundamental rights of EPO staff.

"Some time later in March 2018, Barrett was elected to the Board of the Administrative Council, the exclusive "inner circle" which carries out the preparatory work for Council meetings. Presumably this little sinecure was intended as recognition of his earlier support for "le système Battistelli"."Before wrapping up, it's worth mentioning the delegation representing the Republic of Ireland which joined the EPO somewhat later than the UK in 1992.

The Irish delegation generally tends to align itself with the UK delegation and this occasion was no exception.

Like his British counterparts, the head of the Irish delegation, Gerard Barrett acted in a typically pusillanimous manner by giving his assent to Battistelli's "Strike Regulations".

Ireland's Gerard Barret
Following the lead of his British counterparts, the head of the Irish delegation, Gerard Barret, voted in favour of Battistelli's "Strike Regulations".



Some time later in March 2018, Barrett was elected to the Board of the Administrative Council, the exclusive "inner circle" which carries out the preparatory work for Council meetings. Presumably this little sinecure was intended as recognition of his earlier support for "le système Battistelli".

In the next part, we will turn our attention to the delegation representing another founding state which has traditionally played quite a significant role in EPO affairs, the Swiss Confederation.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Bailing Out GAFAM, Giving Taxpayers' Money to Failing Companies, and Trying to Outlaw Lawsuits Against Them
What would the late Lincoln have said?
Men Who Abuse Women Should Never Spend Over 3 Years of the UK High Court's Time
This demonstrates that we need a reform in the UK
 
Links 25/08/2025: ‘Panama Playlists’ and Live Nation/Ticketmaster Suit Aims at Class Action
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/08/2025: Empathy Towards Autistic People and Old Gadgets
Links for the day
Links 25/08/2025: Datacentres Versus Water Supplies and "The IPv6 Divide"
Links for the day
Links 25/08/2025: Data Breaches, Politics, and Financial Strain
Links for the day
GNU/Linux Distros Ought to Replace Firefox (and Firefox ESR) With Something Like LibreWolf
Perhaps it's come to replace Firefox
Father of Julian Assange Said the US Government Was Trying to Bankrupt WikiLeaks, Now the Assange Family Promotes Fake Currencies
Using the name for bad purposes?
Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) Inc. Lost 2 Million Dollars Last Year and Its Chief Took a Salary Increase of Almost $6,000
Another year or two like this... and the SFC will be bankrupt [...] Hallmark of mismanagement
The "New Techrights" Turns Two Very Soon
Accomplishing something each year is what's important, not merely "finishing" another year
Gulf Nations Leave Microsoft Behind
How much lower will Microsoft stoop in an effort to raise money from oil-rich lenders?
How to Combat IRC Trolls (in Our Experience)
Today I want to share my experience (or knowledge) of how to deal with IRC trolls
The Register MS Needs to Stop Participating in the "Hey Hi" (AI) Hype, But It Gets Paid to Participate in This Hype
the publisher (The Register MS) wants to have it both ways
Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Living With Your Parents, Zürich Zoo, and Macondo
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 24, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 24, 2025
Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Signal on OpenBSD and Keyboard Layouts Compared
Links for the day
Links 24/08/2025: Microsoft Settles Data Breach Lawsuits and Climate Change Causes Heatwaves, Water Shortages
Links for the day
CachyOS is Rising Fast, But Slopfarms Are 'Googlebombing' It
CachyOS receives more media attention
No Reason for Red Hat Relief Yet (Layoff Rumours)
the execution could be stalled, delayed, or scheduled for some time after people come back from holiday
GNU/Linux 6%, Windows 60% in Venezuela, Suggests statCounter
The cash cows are dying
Mass Layoffs Continue at Microsoft This Month (Remaining Workers See Conditions That Deteriorate)
So far this month (one week remaining) we saw at least two waves of layoffs at Microsoft
How SPAM E-mails With Windows-Centric Files Get Twisted as Linux Threats, Then Slopfarms Spread the Word
Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt/Fear-mongering/Dramatisation
Links 24/08/2025: Heatwaves Threaten Workers, Maldives Versus Press freedom
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Digital Cameras and Printers
Links for the day
Links 24/08/2025: GAFAM Lie About Pollution and Slop's Carbon Footprint, The Guardian Says Slop ("Hey Hi") is a Bubble That Will Send Stock Markets Into a Freefall
Links for the day
80% of the Sponsored (Fake) Articles in The Register MS Are Promotions of Ponzi Schemes (Unethical Money), the Rest is Banned Chinese Business
Is that an ethical way to make money? No.
The UEFI Restricted Boot 'Time Bomb' is About to Go Off in a Few Weeks
Garrett was the first person to face sanctions (like muting) in our IRC channels because of his abuse; worse yet, he hijacked other people's names and then locked them out of their own accounts
Should Currys PCWorld Start Voiding Warranties of Users of Vista 11?
If a person's laptop has a mechanical issue, should this person replace GNU/Linux with Vista 11 for the repair shop? Only to damage the SSD?
Newer is Not Always Better, and It's Possible That 'Peak' is the Past
People creating their own platforms means progress, whereas centralisation (like moving from blogs to social control media) is the opposite of progress
LLM Hype is Sowing Destruction: It Contributes to DDoS Attacks and Makes the Web Less Accessible (JavaScript "R U Human?" Tests)
If it was googlebot, it would be possible to argue that you'd at least then get referral traffic from Google Search. With LLMs, all you get is plagiarised.
Links 24/08/2025: New York Times Talks About Hey Hi (AI) Bubble
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Upgrading Debian and Mobile-indifferent Design
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 23, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, August 23, 2025
Richard Stallman's Talk in Buenos Aires Scheduled for 16 November 2025 (a Month After FSF Turns 40)
they've just updated their site and Stallman is listed first
Nobody is "Replaced by AI", It's Just a Smokescreen for Jobs Being Eliminated by Lack of Money (Too Much Debt) and Offshoring
It's also why many make the jokes about the "I" in "AI" being "India" or "Indians"
Slopwatch: Linux Journal, WebProNews, LinuxSecurity, and the Serial Slopper
The bubble needs to burst, but even then the Web will be left with residues of these slopfarms
Links 23/08/2025: Science, War, and Important Win for the British Media Against SLAPPers Who Abuse Women
Links for the day
Gemini Links 23/08/2025: BaseLibre Numerical System and Back to Oldschool
Links for the day
"Deserved Victory" for "Women That Suffered"
"GNM defended its reporting as being both true and in the public interest and in a judgment on Friday"
The US Government is Now in the Business (Literally!) of Saving Microsoft and Intel
This means that President TACO/Cheeto now has greater financial incentive to also prop up Microsoft and Windows
Links 23/08/2025: onmicrosoft.com as Spam Cannon, The Cheeto-Intel Deal Is Official
Links for the day
Wired Complained About LLM Slop Only Days Before It Got Caught Doing That Itself
Never throw stones in a glass house
IBM "Value" Down 14.16% in a Month, Red Hat Layoffs Allegedly Discussed 12 Days Ago
"IBM is a dinosaur. Dinosaurs get extinct when the don't keep up."
We're Seeing More Countries Where Windows Isn't Even in Second Place Anymore (Third or Worse)
In a way, Microsoft can barely even hold onto second place anymore
Microsoft Workers on Canonical's Payroll
If you want something that's sort of like Ubuntu but is not controlled by Canonical, then look into Linux Mint, Debian, or LMDE
GNU/Linux Climbs to 4% in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone isn't a very rich country (to say the least), but it's better off than some of its neighbours
The SLAPPS Run Out of Oxygen Because They're Abuse of Process
At the end of the day we plan to publish over 1,000 articles explaining what happened
The Register MS Gets Paid by the Employer of the Previous Editor in Chief to Promote the "AI" Ponzi Scheme, Which Does Considerable Damage to the Web and to Online Journalists
The Register MS can 'badmouth' slop all it wants; it gets paid to inflate this bubble. It's actively participating in it.
Soon It'll be Autumn, Time to Repair Things
Where they don't charge an arm and a leg
Doing Our Best to Cover Software Patents When the Mainstream Media Does Not
Even the FSF has its limits
Gemini Links 23/08/2025: August Questions and Network Solutions
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, August 22, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, August 22, 2025