Bonum Certa Men Certa

In Unison, Nations Hop Aboard the Unitary Patent Train Wreck, For (Foreign) Corporate Gain at Europe's Expense

The truly horrible UPC (should stand for "Unlimited Power for Corporations"), which no European politician wants to even publicly talk about

UPC protest



Summary: The 1%'s (richest people's) wishlist regarding patent enforcement (high damages, broad injunctions etc.) is quickly progressing without the public even made aware of it or honestly lectured on its consequences for ordinary Europeans

LAST week we spotted early signs of Britain falling deeper into the UPC trap, having already jumped the gun and set up courts as if unitary patent courts were inevitable. Days ago we wrote about what IP Kat now calls "BREAKING NEWS" (yes, all caps!) and we contacted some officials, who were of course stonewalling, pretending they don't exist at all (or are blind/deaf). And they say we have a functioning democracy here in the UK... with elected officials, representatives, etc.



"And they say we have a functioning democracy here in the UK... with elected officials, representatives, etc."In light of heavy EPO lobbying for UPC (in spite of backlash from many) we think that stopping the UPC in the UK has just gotten harder. It "now needs to receive approval from both Houses of Parliament," IP Kat wrote. "Usually, this can be achieved quite quickly, and once the SI is approved, the UK will be in a position to ratify the UPC Agreement."

As one among several comments put it (some from opportunistic patent lawyers in the UK), the "UK should not ratify until it is clear the rule of law applies within the EPO. The EU cannot and should not subcontract to an organisation that appears to flout laws on Human Rights."

"Do we really want to give even more power and authority to thugs like Benoît Battistelli and Željko Topić, who treat their own staff like dirt?"As pointed out in numerous sites of patent lawyers (opportunistic and self-serving in this context) since Wednesday morning, Finland made a big mistake, giving more authority to these people who are immune from European law. As WIPR put it today: "Finland has become the latest country to ratify the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Agreement, raising the total number of confirmed participants to nine.

"The country deposited its instrument of ratification yesterday, January 19. The development was confirmed on the European Council’s website.

"Finland is the latest country to approve the UPC deal since Portugal ratified the agreement last August."

Do we really want to give even more power and authority to thugs like Benoît Battistelli and Željko Topić, who treat their own staff like dirt? Imagine how they'd treat Europe as a whole (it is already appalling enough as it is).

" It's all about making the rich and the powerful richer and more powerful. Ordinary Europeans have nothing to gain from it."It's not clear why a country like Portugal might make such an error in light of the terrible treatment that its neighbour, Spain, has been receiving from the EPO (see Spanish translation). Taking into account previous names/labels for UPC, we have written many hundreds of articles about it over the years. Its effect on Europe is similar to that of TPP and/or TTIP. It's all about making the rich and the powerful richer and more powerful. Ordinary Europeans have nothing to gain from it. They don't even get to vote on it! If citizens were given the ability to make informed decisions and cast a vote on this, it would never pass. Remember ACTA?

"None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them."

--Charles Caleb Colton



Recent Techrights' Posts

Linux Journal Might Have Become the Latest Slopfarm Targeting "Linux", the Trends Are Concerning for Dying News Sites
They tarnish the Web with junk and then die
On "Learning to Code"
quality may suffer, plus things get bloated
Quick Points Regarding This Week's Court Hearing
it paves the way for us to squash all the SLAPPs from Microsofters
 
"Six years of Gemini!"
From gemini://geminiprotocol.net
Gemini Links 20/06/2025: Summer Updates and Hardware Failures
Links for the day
Links 20/06/2025: Google Shareholder Sues Google and Google Sued for Defamatory Slop ('Hey Hi') Word Salads ('Summaries')
Links for the day
Common Mistake: Believing Social Control Media Will Document Your Writings/Thoughts and Search Engines Like Google Will Help You Find These
Many news sites wrongly assumed that posting directly to Twitter would be acceptable
The Manchester Bees and This Hot Summer
We have had a fantastic week so far this week
Gemini Protocol Enters Its Seventh Year, Growth Has Accelerated!
Maybe in June 20 2026 there will be over 3,500 active capsules?
Mastodon and the Fediverse Have an Issue: Liability for Content (Even in Other Instances) and Costs
self-hosting is the only logical path forward
Why Microsoft and Its 'Hey Hi' (Slop) Frenzy Fail While Sinking in Deep, Growing Debt
Right now, like Twitter around the time it was sold to MElon, "open" "hey hi" is a big pile of debt with a lot to pay for that debt (interest payments)
Europe is Leaving Microsoft, the Press Coverage Isn't Sufficiently Helpful
The news is generally positive, but the press coverage leaves so much to be desired
Slopwatch: Linuxsecurity, BetaNews, and Linux Journal
slippery slope
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, June 19, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, June 19, 2025
Gemini Links 20/06/2025: Gemini Protocol Turns 6!
Links for the day
Links 19/06/2025: Ghostwriting Scam and Fentanylware (TikTok) Buying Time
Links for the day
Microsoft's Windows is a Niche Operating System in Africa
African nations aren't a large contributor to Microsoft's income, but if many African nations move away from Windows, then the monopoly is at risk
Gemini Links 19/06/2025: Unix Primitivism, Zine Club, and Gemini Protocol Turns 6 at Midnight
Links for the day
Links 19/06/2025: WhatsApp Identified as Assassination 'Crosshairs', Patreon Now Rips Off People Even More
Links for the day
"Told You So": Another Very Large Wave of Microsoft Layoffs Now Confirmed in Mainstream Media
So we were right to believe the rumours, based on the credibility of prior such rumours
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, June 18, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Gemini Links 18/06/2025: Magit and Farming
Links for the day
Slopwatch: BetaNews is Now a Slopfarm (Like Linuxsecurity) and Google News is Overwhelmed by Slopfarms
The Web is bad
Links 18/06/2025: SCOTUS Decision on Fentanylware (TikTok) Still Ignored, 4.5-Day Work Weeks
Links for the day
Links 17/06/2025: Windows TCO and G7 Rifts
Links for the day
The Right to Know and the Freedom to Report on Crime (at the Higher Echelons)
I'd like to do the same thing for the next 20 years
BetaNews Appears to Have Fired All Of Its Staff
Even serial sloppers
After the Web Becomes Slopped to Death
A lot of people are rightly fed up with the "modern" Web
Gemini Protocol Turns 6 on Friday
Active (online) Gemini capsules are estimated by Lupa at over 3,000
Like Most Social Control Media, Microsoft LinkedIn is Collapsing
One reason for Microsoft acquisitions is debt-loading, i.e. offloading and burying its debt
Microsoft is Losing Its Richest Clients
Unlike some very poor countries, Germany and the EU are a considerable source of income to Microsoft
Proprietary Means Not Secure
Proprietary software tends to rely on secrecy, not good design
Slop in 'AI' Clothing is a Passing Fad, We'll Get Past It (Like Blockchain Before That)
Many people cheat in exams using slop and there are professionals that try using slop as a "shortcut"
GNOME Does Not Campaign Against Microsoft, KDE Does
It's good to see that KDE is still active in promotion of Free software - a term that it uses
Slopwatch: BetaNews, Linuxsecurity, and Other Prolific Slopfarms
name and shame the sites that establish such proliferation of slop
Gemini Links 18/06/2025: Birch Lake and Loon Pond
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, June 17, 2025