Bonum Certa Men Certa

Dutch MEP Dennis De Jong, Criticising Battistelli and Topić, Calls for Action Against EPO Management

Dennis De Jong



Summary: Even politicians, not just from France but also from the Netherlands, now add their voices to large-scale complaints about intimidation, nepotism, waste and corruption at the EPO

A FORTNIGHT ago we wrote that the European Parliament had declined to intervene in the affairs of the corrupt EPO. Thankfully it's not over because the latest news from the EPO involves intervention by a Dutch MEP (member of the European Parliament).



"Thankfully it's not over because the latest news from the EPO involves intervention by a Dutch MEP (member of the European Parliament).""It seems that following the dismissal of the Petition filed with the European Parliament," tells us a source, "the Dutch MEP Dennis de Jong (from the Socialist party) has criticised the decision of the Petitions Committee and is pressing for an investigation of the situation at the EPO.

"He recently published an article about EPO matters on his "Weeklog" and since it's all in Dutch we need to rely on automated translations. Google Translate allowed us to get the gist of it and here is an automated translation (we have made minor changes to make the text more coherent):

WEEKLOG: UNREST AT EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE



There may be days that go by when you do not think of the EPO (European Patents Office, EPO), but it's worth keeping the news of this European organization in mind. Officials who work there have rebelled. Their actions are directed against -- in their eyes -- the dictatorial rule of the Director of EPA, Benoit Battistelli. Soon I'll speak with staff representatives. Whether EPO is or is not an EU institution, the EU wants to do business with them or go for a new kind of European patent. Then we wish to hear that there are no situations where workers' rights are trampled and there is the smell of nepotism in appointments and dismissals.

Like their colleagues in Brussels, officials of EPA a gigantic, high salaries. Moreover, they are not promoted based on performance but on the basis of seniority. Battistelli wants to cut costs, in part because patents approvals in his organization are expensive. So he wants to get rid of quite a few privileges of the staff. You are there for what to suggest, but that does not mean you just can decrease your staff count, the right to participate in a fair and independent appeals, let alone enter a culture of intimidation. And that is exactly what Battistelli has done according to officials from federal EPA.

Since EPO is an independent international organization, it should be working and be controlled by the rules of the organization itself. For example, there is an EPA office in Rijswijk, the Dutch law does not apply. Normally, international organizations actually look at what is common for national officials when it comes to the right as you to organize workers in a union, to communicate with each other about labor rights, and, if you are suspected of a violation of internal rules, appeal is to go to an independent commission, but not so at EPA.

All these rights, according to the staff of EPO, have been wholly or partially abolished. The union is forbidden to operate within the buildings of EPA and the existing council was abolished. An internal investigation established that it is often intimidating to work and people are encouraged to tattle on colleagues, as reticent. Moreover, there are questions about the integrity of the right hand of Battistelli, the Croat Topic, accused of corruption in his home country, but whose appointment there by Battistelli is pushed through.

The participating countries, including the Netherlands, have the last word in the administration of EPO. Recently, however, Battistelli was re-appointed for a term of four years. Apparently, the protest is something these countries have not taken seriously. That is first and foremost a matter for the House, but by the indirect involvement of the EU also from the European Parliament. Officials with whom I have been in contact wish to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. But their case should be heard in Brussels. That seems like a better response than the response of the petition committee of the EP who referred the case back to a complaint of officials tied to the Internal Appeals of EPO. And while the complaints are properly focused among others on the fact that the committee can no longer operate independently but has been put into receivership by Battistelli. As for me, here comes to the bottom of: trade union rights apply to everyone, including officials and even for highly paid.


If someone who is fluent in Dutch can provide an accurate translation, please do so below or mail us.

Recent Techrights' Posts

GAFAM and "MATA"
The use of dark humour there hopefully helps illuminate what a lot of "modern" technology became like and how it interacts with human civilisation (to what ends and whose gain)
Flying in 2025
worse than ever before
The UEFI 9/11 - Part III - Chaos is Scheduled to Happen Second Thursday of September (No Matter What the Microsofters Tell You)
The clock is ticking
Downplaying the Impact of "UEFI 9/11" is a Losing Strategy
we won't publish much whilst on holiday
 
How Not to Build Software
code forges that need a Web browser perhaps fill some 'niche' demand
Birds Are Not "Pests and Vermin", Privacy is Not a Crime, and GNU/Linux is Not 'Hacking Platform'
I could not help but think of Free software analogies
The Sites Should Be Very Fast Again
That issue is now resolved
Activists, Including Technical Activists, Need Not Pursue Affirmation
Techrights doesn't play or participate in a "popularity contest"
Government Sites Should Run Free Software
Not proprietary bloatware with buzzwords
LLM Slopfarms Take No Breaks
When people run sites by bots they don't need to worry about "breaks"
GNOME Having a Meltdown Again
Thanks and farewell to Steven Deobald
Gemini Links 30/08/2025: Low Tech and Hunchbin 1.0.6
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, August 29, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, August 29, 2025
Financiers and Sponsors of the Slop Hype (Pyramid Scheme Waiting to End, Bubble That Will Inevitably Implode)
It's also burning the planet
Slopwatch: Fake Articles About "Linux", Google Helps Ponzi Schemes and Slopfarms in Google News
Slopfarms are a real pain
Gemini Links 29/08/2025: Retiring at 62 and URL Filtering HTTP(S) Proxy on Qubes OS
Links for the day
Links 29/08/2025: Lisa Cook Sues Convicted Felon and Backdoor Mandate in UK Resisted
Links for the day
Links 29/08/2025: Arti 1.5.0, War on Public Health (CDC), and Slop 'Bros' Made to Pay for Their Mass Plagiarism
Links for the day
Representing and Speaking for Animals
If I ever choose to take this matter to tribunal with animals-centric NGOs on my side, it'll get some press coverage for sure
No, 4Chan is Not Fighting for You by Lawyering Up Against Ofcom (UK)
Don't mistake proto-fascists for people who "fight for you". They don't.
In Many Places in the World Vista 11 "Market Share" is Going Down, Not Up
In some countries Windows is already down to third place or lower
More Microsoft-Connected Layoffs, at Least Third Time This Month! (Also Another Death on Campus)
Microsoft as a "gaming" company is where studios, projects, games, and even developers come to die
Slopwatch: Fake Articles About "Linux", Slop Images in VentureBeat, Linux Foundation Spam Made With LLM Slop and Slop Images
The only relief or upside - if any exists - is that the pace of slop was down a bit this week
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, August 28, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, August 28, 2025
Gemini Links 29/08/2025: Poems, Games, and Java 25 Performance
Links for the day
Links 28/08/2025: Greenland 'Interferences' by US and Skinnerboxes to Get Banned in Korean Schools
Links for the day
Richard Stallman (RMS) Talk in Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress Will be Remote
This past week RMS received lots of accolades online
The Register MS (Run by Microsoft Operatives): Free Software is Putin, Hence Evil and Dangerous
The current editor in chief is an American Microsofter, the previous one went to work for Google (US)
Links 28/08/2025: Chatbots Distorting/Fabricating History and Also Driving Suicide
Links for the day
Gemini Links 28/08/2025: Back in Japan and Why "Hacker News" Sucks
Links for the day
A Much-Needed Wake-up Call to Users of Wordpress.com, Blogspot, Substack and All Those Other Outsourced (and Centralised) Platforms
There are several lessons in there
The UEFI 9/11 - Part II - Campaign of Censorship and Defamation Against Critics
In dictatorships, humour serves an important role. It's tragic.
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Resists Software Freedom, Even by Attacking Its Own
The OSI is compromised
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Slopwatch: linuxsecurity.com, Slopfarms in Google News, and More
Some readers of ours end up sending us links that are from slopfarms, not realising those are slopfarms