02.28.22

The EPO is Run by Dictators, Elected Staff Representatives Are Left Out of Key Consultations

Posted in Europe, Patents at 10:50 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Video download link | md5sum d61cabdab8e14a34185a0b3ba94916a6
Dictators-Run EPO
Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0

Summary: Clueless politicians with no grasp (or very scarce understanding) of patent law are taking over the entire state of EPOnia; it is a recipe for disaster as it facilitates coups by “special interests” (or moneyed interests), detached entirely from scientific objectives

MR. "efficiencies" António Campinos acts as if the EPO is basically a bank. Like bankers who disregard science, laws, their native populations and so forth. The video above reminds examiners that the patent examination process should be a lot like peer review, not a business-minded escapade. The EPO’s management is recklessly breaking the law, capitalising on diplomatic immunity as if it’s a licence to invade courts, introduce illegal measures, and drain the life out of the whole system for personal gain. Thankfully many examiners are fighting back. They didn’t join the Office to conduct clerical tasks for Campinos and his chums. They’re researchers, not machines operators.

The Central Staff Committee (CSC) has taken note of the fact that the Office isn’t even listening to staff anymore. It’s basically a dictatorship (you know whose!) and it’s designed to pass wealth from ordinary Europeans to plutocrats and corporations that are typically not European. Pillage and plunder (P&P) disguised as “Patents” and “Protection”[ism]…

“A GCC meeting took place on 16 February,” the CSC wrote. “Two documents were submitted for information, i.e. the President did not expect our opinion on them. However, in order to do our job, we consider that we have to give our opinion on both documents, which we sent to him and which you can read…”

The General Consultative Committee (GCC) was explained here in past years and introduced in the video above.

Now on to the documents from the CSC. They’ve sent to staff this one page summary along with this more detailed document [PDF], an opinion with annex. Or “Target Operating Model for DG1 Organisational Steps & Other Organisational Changes (including H&S),” to use their own words.

Here’s the much shorter document of the pair, as shown in the video above:

Opinion of the CSC members of the GCC on GCC/DOC 01/2022

Salary Savings Plan: Launch of two new target funds and update of Circular 317

Introduction

The list of funds in the life-cycle strategy needs to be updated at regular time intervals (e.g. on a five-year basis). The list is an integral part of Circular 317, The change in 2022 consists in the addition of two further funds in the life-cycle strategy.

On consultation

One duty of the Supervisory Committee for the Salary Savings Plan is to supervise investment management and administration for the salary savings plan. It shall also advise the President of the Office and may issue recommendations¹. As a result, documents relating to the investment strategy available to the Salary Savings Plan members must be submitted to the Supervisory Committee. This has not taken place.

In addition, the document is presented to the GCC for information only. It relates to an amendment to Circular 317, which is an integral part (Part 1b) of the Service Regulations. Previous document (GCC/DOC 29/2019 REV1) was tabled to the GCC for consultation.

Therefore, the consultation process is flawed in two respects.

On the substance

The CSC members of the GCC gave a unanimous positive opinion on Circular 317 in its previous version of 2 June 2020. The change in 2022 consists in the mere addition of two further funds in the life-cycle strategy.

The CSC members of the GCC give a positive opinion on this amendment.

____
¹ See Article 4 ServRegs – Impl. R. Supervisory Committee

As noted this morning (actually recorded yesterday), there’s just about ZERO MEDIA COVERAGE about this situation, a conflict inside Europe’s second-largest institution. This so-called “conspiracy of silence” isn’t helping Europe or the EU; these things are adding up and they’ll just boil over worse than before (the Benoît Battistelli era).

To use an analogy, similarly inside corporations or institutions (e.g. government departments) that don’t permit airing of grievances internally there’s a build-up of silent dissent, which eventually spills over and gets “out there” like Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks. Snowden had studied the stories of prior NSA whistleblowers (at least 3 of them, J. Kirk Wiebe, Thomas Drake, and William Binney) and even tested the water a bit before choosing to meet journalists in Hong Kong. The EPO is well aware of all the scandals; the European Council trying to cover things up along with the Administrative Council simply ensures that the blowback will discredit a lot more than the EPO, causing a crisis not just for the Office but the whole of the EU and pertinent national governments, including ours.

Given the lack of participation by the media, which actively keeps this crisis under the wraps, we’d like to urge readers to contact local publishers. Here’s a list of them for Europe:

.ad     RTVA    https://rtva.ad/
.al     RTSH    https://rtsh.al/
.at     ORF     https://der.orf.at/
.ba     BHRT    https://bhrt.ba/
.be     RTBR    https://rtbf.be/
.be     VRT     https://vrt.be/
.bg     BNR     https://www.bnr.bg/
.bg     BNT     https:/bnt.bg/
.ch     SRGSSR  https://www.srgssr.ch/
.cy     PIK     https://cybc.com.cy/
.cz     Česká televize  http://www.ceskatelevize.cz
.cz     Český rozhlas   http://www.rozhlas.cz/
.de     BR      http://br.de/
.de     Deutschlandradio        https://www.deutschlandradio.de/
.de     DW      https://dw.com/
.de     HR      https://hr.de/
.de     MDR     https://mdr.de/
.de     NDR     http://www.ndr.de/
.de     Radiobremen     https://www.radiobremen.de/
.de     RBB     https://www.rbb-online.de/
.de     SR      https://sr.de/
.de     SWR     https://swr.de/
.de     WDR     https://wdr.de/
.de     ZDF     https://zdf.de/
.dk     DR      https://dr.dk/
.dk     TV2     https://tv2.dk/
.ee     ERR     https://www.err.ee/
.es     RTVE    https://rtve.es/
.fi     YLE     https://yle.fi/
.fo     KvF     https://kvf.fo/
.fr     France Médias Monde     http://www.francemediasmonde.com/
.fr     France Télévisions      http://www.france.tv/
.fr     Radio France    https://radiofrance.fr/
.ge     GPB     https://gpb.ge/
.gl     KNR     https://www.knr.gl/
.gr     EPT     https://int.ert.gr/
.gr     EPT     https://webradio.ert.gr/
.gr     EPT     https://www.ert.gr/
.hr     HRT     https://hrt.hr/
.hu     Duna Médiaszolgáltató   https://dunamsz.hu/
.hu     MTVA    https://mtva.hu/
.ie     RTÉ     https://rte.ie/
.ie     TG4     https://tg4.ie/
.it     RAI     https://rai.it/
.lt     LRT     https://lrt.lt/
.lu     Radio 100,7     https://100komma7.lu/
.lu     RTL     https://www.rtlgroup.com/
.lv     LR      https://www.latvijasradio.lsm.lv/
.lv     LSM     https://lsm.lv/
.lv     LTV     https://ltv.lsm.lv/lv/
.mc     MMD     https://www.mmd.mc/en/
.md     TRM     https://trm.md/
.me     RTCG    https://rtcg.me/
.mk     MPT     https://play.mrt.com.mk/
.mt     PBS     https://www.pbs.com.mt/
.nl     AVROTROS        https://www.avrotros.nl/
.nl     BNNVARA https://bnnvara.nl/
.nl     EO      https://www.eo.nl/
.nl     HUMAN   https://human.nl/
.nl     KRO-NCRV        http://kro-ncrv.nl/
.nl     MAX     https://www.omroepmax.nl/
.nl     NOS     https://nos.nl/
.nl     NPO     https://www.npo.nl/
.nl     NTR     https://ntr.nl/
.nl     PowNed  https://www.powned.tv/
.nl     STER    https://www.ster.nl/
.nl     VPRO    https://vpro.nl/
.nl     WNL     https://www.omroepwnl.nl/
.no     NRK     https://nrk.no/
.pl     Spółka Akcyjna  http://prsa.com.pl/
.pl     TVP     https://tvp.pl/
.pt     RTP     https://rtp.pt/
.ro     SRR     https://srr.ro/
.ro     TVR     https://tvr.ro/
.rs     RTS     https://rts.rs/
.se     SR      http://www.sr.se/
.se     SVT     https://www.svt.se/
.se     UR      https://www.ur.se/
.si     RTV     https://rtvslo.si/
.si     RÚV     https://www.ruv.is/
.sk     RTVS    https://rtvs.sk/
.sm     RTV     https://sanmarinortv.sm/
.ua     Suspilne        https://corp.suspilne.media/
.va     Statio Radiophonica Vaticana    https://www.vaticannews.va/

“The list of national broadcasters can be of use to EPO staff in reaching out about the upcoming strike,” an associate told me this morning. “Given that the EPO is the second largest international organisation in Europe, the news is relevant to the member states. However, they would have to be contacted by native speakers and, preferably, residents or nationals.” █

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