Bonum Certa Men Certa

Copyright Troll Targets Articles About EPO Corruption

Czech/German duo
Czech dictator meets well-connected corrupt criminal based in Germany



Summary: This August was fascinating in the sense that we grappled with likely legally-invalid threats from Germany, on behalf of someone from the Czech Republic

As we noted here last week, something we wrote about EPO corruption an entire year ago attracted the attention of some German patent troll, who seems to be scattering threats to a lot of sites. For the public record it's worth outlining what's wrong with those threats.



First of all, the date on the Power of Attorney letter is June, i.e. 2 months earlier. Has he been on a 'crusade' for two months already? As someone told us a week ago, maybe he sends 100,000 such letters. But who knows...

But let's go back to the beginning and explain what happened.

Earlier this month I received a nasty (and frivolous) letter from a lawyer/attorney, but it was so weak and baseless that it seemed safe to ignore. Maybe I'll publish a full copy at a later date, but it would likely help the troll more than it harms the troll. We've already seen so-called 'researchers' wasting sites' time by sending them threats to 'study' the response. 8 days later another letter was sent, this time too following more of a script. It didn't seem personalised, except a name and address (which seemed wrong).

This is a copyright troll, as per the definition, sending messages only/mostly on Friday nights (that's strategic sometimes; it denies access to legal advice). I ended up attaching all the material, sending it to people who specialise in copyright trolls. This needed cataloging.

What's wrong with the threat?

Among many issues:



In short, it seems like someone is wasting money and time on clueless law firms, or maybe they look for easy targets with no access to legal advice on Friday.

I decided to write about this tonight as this Friday, for a change, no communication arrived.

One can trivially see he follows a script. Notice date.

Signed in June
June? Really?



I sent this short reply almost 15 days ago*, asking" [w]hich specific image are you talking about?" He never responded to my message. He seems to work like a script or a bot, not even keeping abreast of anything mildly "off-script".

He should be disbarred. This is abuse or misuse of power, not following very simple protocols, misinforming his targets later on a Friday.

I know a thing or too about patent bullies trying to use "copyrights" to muzzle criticism or scare critics; it happened before and they ended up with an egg in their face, without me even needing a lawyer.

Does this have anything to do with the EPO itself? Hard to tell. For reasons specified last week, it's not impossible, but the simpler explanation is that we're caught in the drift net of a copyright troll.

"Does this have anything to do with the EPO itself? Hard to tell. For reasons specified last week, it's not impossible, but the simpler explanation is that we're caught in the drift net of a copyright troll."Remember that the EPO's management is wasting over 6 million euros (with approval from Josef and the other puppets) on lawyers whose sole purpose is to fight against EPO staff in court. Josef is the head of the 'IP' office in the Czech Republic, which is incidentally the same nationality as the name above.

One possible theory here is that we're dealing combative legal hacks who are battling people with legitimate grievances by reaching out to deep pockets, not by presenting anything of merit (like complainants drowning out the respondents with paperwork to waste time, until they run out of budget and simply give up).

We ought not end up in a society where law firms and lawyers are manifestations of SLAPP, e.g. the formalisation of a totally bullshit/bullish "system" whereby rich people can twist "the law" to do anything to people whom they dislike. In dictatorships, the prosecutors too are doing this, with their mates called "judges" (wearing various lousy costumes). In the EPO we saw numerous examples of this.

Having sought some advice and discussed this with people who know copyright trolling very well, one of them told me: "I think you just ignore them. I'm not a lawyer, but I doubt that filing a suit against you in the USA will be cheaper than the maximum damages you'd be forced to pay. If you don't have an EU presence and/or bank account, they're probably out of luck."

"They operate in complete darkness, recklessly breaking laws, and the legal threats come to people who expose the corruption, not those who are responsible for the corruption."I still think in the grand scheme of things it is plausible that this is connected to SLAPP over EPO reporting, based on the track record of EPO management. It will never be possible to prove such a thing though.

Another person whom I've asked about this said it is "clearly impossible to remove an image if you don't know which one it is. IANAL, but if he won't specify, seems empty threat at the moment..."

The amount of corruption at the EPO is just unbelievable and it is closely connected to EUIPO/OHIM, i.e. the EU (I'm pro-EU, but this is just horrible). The corruption is so profound that they corrupt the media, bribe the national delegations, stack the courts etc. We need the wider public involved in this battle, as we're dealing with a kind of "mafia" here and thus we get lots of whistleblowers. Sadly, the ombudsman too never mentions these issues. They operate in complete darkness, recklessly breaking laws, and the legal threats come to people who expose the corruption, not those who are responsible for the corruption. _____ * This is the message I sent within a day (my question has not been answered in 15 days!)

Hi,
the post http://techrights.org/2021/12/13/credit-to-norway/ contains
memes from a meme site, https://imgflip.com



That's where I got it from.

Which specific image are you talking about?

I'll remove it as soon as you identify which one.

Regards,

-- Dr. Roy S. Schestowitz | http://schestowitz.com | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E Editor @ http://techrights.org & http://tuxmachines.org


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: 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