Bonum Certa Men Certa

Danish Press Coverage of the European Patent Office and the Problems Explored by Techrights

For those who conveniently refer to style, not substance

Style over substance Reference: Style over substance



Summary: Jesper Kongstad does virtually nothing to deny the arguments (or "accusations") and instead alludes to the style of the writings about him

Recent articles from Techrights have inspired Danish mainstream media coverage regarding the EPO, notably this recent series of Danish stories. We have asked some Scandinavian people to explain to us what was said in the press and we are still trying to digest the message, along with any other new information that it brings up.



"The first one gives details about the "harassment" to which Kongstad is allegedly being subjected.""For your information," one reader told us, "Berlingske has just published three pieces about the EPO referring to recent Techrights articles.

"No translations yet but Google Translate gives some idea of the content."

Here is an overview of the stories:

1. The first one gives details about the "harassment" to which Kongstad is allegedly being subjected.

Chikane mod dansk topembedsmand: Hængt ud for skattesnyd (Danish link) ("Harassment of top Danish official - denunciation for tax evasion")

"The next one cites some comments from the Danish patent expert George Brock-Nannestad who is critical of the direction being taken by EPO management."Direktøren for Patent- og Varemærke€­styrelsen, der ogsÃ¥ er formand for det europæiske patentkontor EPO, tæppe€­bombes med beskyldninger om smarte investeringer og dyremishandling. ("The Director of the DKPTO who is also Chairman of the EPO [Administrative Council] has been carpet-bombed with accusations about smart investments and cruelty to animals")

2. The next one cites some comments from the Danish patent expert George Brock-Nannestad who is critical of the direction being taken by EPO management.

Dansk patentekspert: Ledelsen på forkert kurs (Danish link) ("Danish patent expert: The management is on the wrong course").

En kontaktperson fra den centrale fagforening hos EPO, SUEPO (Staff Union of the European Patent Office), afviser i en mail over for Berlingske, at SUEPO samarbejder med den kritiske internet-blog Techrights.com om chikane mod EPOs bestyrelsesformand Jesper Kongstad, som er direktør for Patent- og Varemærkestyrelsen. Den pÃ¥gældende har ifølge eget udsagn været udsat for repressalier fra ledelsen og €­ønsker derfor ikke at fÃ¥ sit navn frem. Det er en mangeÃ¥rig europæisk patentagent (European Patent Attorney) til gengæld ikke bange for. EPO-ledelsen er pÃ¥ vildspor og er ved at ødelægge den europæiske patentorganisation, mener George Brock-Nannestad.

"This one refers to "anonymous activists" who have complained about Kongstad and called for an investigation."("In an email to Berlingske a contact person from the central trade union at the EPO, SUEPO (Staff Union of the European Patent Office), denies that SUEPO has cooperated with the critical Internet blog Techrights in the harassment of EPO chairman Jesper Kongstad, who is the Director of the Patent and Trademark Office. Those questioned are according to themselves exposed to reprisals from management and therefore do not wish to be named. On the other hand, a longtime European patent agent (European Patent Attorney) is not afraid. EPO management is on the wrong track and is destroying the European Patent Organisation, says George Brock-Nannestad.")

3. The last one seems to be a bit of a puff piece where they give Kongstad a bit of column space to explain the necessity for the "reform" process at the EPO and how wonderful the working conditions there are...

Lønninger og goder €»uden sidestykke i Europa€« (Danish link) ("Salaries and benefits "unparalleled in Europe '")

De ansatte demonstrerer EPO har et budget pÃ¥ omkring 15 milliarder kr. og behandler Ã¥rligt flere hundrede tusinde €­ansøgninger om patenter fra europæiske virksomheder. Konflikten i EPO har de seneste par Ã¥r ført til voldsomme anklager om magtmisbrug, brud pÃ¥ retssikkerheden og beskyldninger om undertrykkelse af fag€­foreninger. Jesper Kongstad var i sidste uge til bestyrelsesmøde i EPOs hovedkvarter i München, hvor ledelsen, som det er sket flere gange før, blev mødt med demonstrationer fra de ansatte.

"It's typical to accuse the messenger or the style rather than the substance."("The staff demonstrates The EPO has a budget of about 15 billion DKK and each year it processes hundreds of thousands of applications for patents from European companies. The conflict in the EPO has in recent years led to fierce accusations of abuse of power, breach of legal certainty and accusations of repression of trade unions. Last week Jesper Kongstad attended a board meeting in the EPO headquarters in Munich, where as has happened several times before, the management was met with protests from the employees.")

As of today, there is an additional (fourth) article. This one refers to "anonymous activists" who have complained about Kongstad and called for an investigation.

€»Professor Gadget€« og €»Freiherr von Bimbes€« om smædekampagne: Dansk topembedsmand bør undersøges

"Den danske topembedsmand Jesper Kongstad er genstand for massiv chikane i forbindelse med en konflikt i det europæiske patentkontor. Anonyme bagmænd uddyber her hvorfor."

("The Danish top official Jesper Kongstad is attracting a lot of harassment in connection with the conflict in the European Patent Office. Anonymous activists explain why here.")

"It's not easy to find native English speakers that are fluent in Danish, which is what a quality translation would entail."We have asked for some feedback from people who can comprehend a bit of Danish. "Kongstad complains about the personal attacks and refers to Techrights," one person told us. "Your style is accused of not being 'Danish', also the €»Professor Gadget€« and €»Freiherr von Bimbes€« are mentioned. I hope they / he are keeping it civilized and more 'Danish'.

"You're quoted in that one," the person said about the second article and regarding the third we have been told that "[i]t's good that its in the Economics section of the paper. Though I take issue with their use of the term 'chikane' but it's not directed at Techrights explicitly."

It's typical to accuse the messenger or the style rather than the substance.

"Are we going to see an actual debunking from Kongstad or is he just hoping that nobody will bother finding out what he has been up to?"We hope to get translations of these soon. It's not easy to find native English speakers that are fluent in Danish, which is what a quality translation would entail.

Are we going to see an actual debunking from Kongstad or is he just hoping that nobody will bother finding out what he has been up to? Our Web site has been barely accessibly today because too many people do try to figure out what Kongstad is doing in his home.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Red Hat Layoffs Expected in 5 Days (Monday)
"They will announce and proceed with the cuts on 08/11."
They Want You To Talk About Trump or 'The Other Bill' in Relation to Trafficking of Underage Girls for Sexual Exploitation
Just something we wanted to say...
How to Quadruple Your "Goodwill" Value and Grow Your (Wall) Street "Value" From $152B to $4000B Without Producing a Single Successful Product/Service
The longer it goes on for, the bigger the implosion will be
Staying Productive
Two very reputable institutions recently told us they now reckon Microsoft is somehow funding those SLAPPs against us
66 Countries Where More People Use iPhones (or iPads) Than Microsoft Windows, According to statCounter Data
a list of countries where iOS now exceeds Windows
Windows All-Time Lows, Android All-Time Highs in Kuwait
New lows for Windows can be found in many countries this month
 
August Hits Microsoft Hard: Dead Divisions, Dead Products, Layoffs Again (on Week 1)
Microsoft's debt is soaring
Slopwatch: Slow Day for LLM Slop, Serial Sloppers Still at It in Their Slopfarms
The Web would be better off if those sites went offline
Links 06/08/2025: Substack in Trouble, Slop Sceptic Shira Perlmutter Seeks Emergency Injunction Pending Appeal
Links for the day
Gemini Links 06/08/2025: Pinephone, Reverse-Engineering, and More
Links for the day
Links 06/08/2025: Faked Values of Slop Companies and Government Bailouts
Links for the day
FOSSY 2025 Conference Safety
The GAFAM-funded FOSSY 2025 is over
Microsoft's Favourite Pay-to-Say 'Analyst' Firm Has Just Collapsed
'Analysts' that helped propel Microsoft to fictional values akin to Ponzi schemes
Ask Google (Jeeves)
What does Google "know", not know, or would rather forget (or embellish)?
A Blow for Patent Ambitions of Bill Epsteingate
It's about money
Apple's iOS Bigger Than Microsoft Windows in Many Countries
This ought to alarm Microsoft
The Mainstream Media Talks About Spotify Share Price and Price Hikes, Not Its Debt Increasing by About 33% in Just 12 Months
Spotify isn't a company in good shape
New "US Editor for The Register" is 80% Microsoft and Windows
they typically just treat Microsoft like the "Holy Grail" of "IT"
Microsoft is Apparently Sending Gag Orders or NDAs to Staff That Got Laid Off (“We were told not to post on LinkedIn. Not to say anything.”)
The main lies we keep seeing
Richard M. Stallman Has Published AI Memos Since 1980 (45 Years Ago)
Back when the term AI actually meant something
Gemini Links 06/08/2025: BitTorrent and Feedly Bots
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, August 05, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, August 05, 2025
Openwashing Slop... Using Slop!
So get ready for "open" "hey hi" with its proprietary models to engage in openwashing, helped by serial sloppers who use the LLMs to produce fake 'articles'.
On "Tragedy of the Commons in the Production of Digital Artifacts"
There's a better way to do things. None of that should involve GAFAM.
Gemini Links 05/08/2025: Opel Zoo near Frankfurt and Alhena 5.2.5
Links for the day
The Inflammatory Influence of Social Control Media Giants
CPC's ByteDance says it's cool
Microsoft v Planet Earth
Is Microsoft profitable?
IRC Turns 37
Internet Relay Chat (short: IRC), which started in 1988, turns 37 this month
Shortly After a Microsofter Took Over The Register as Editor in Chief Microsoft Tim (Tim Anderson) is Back and It's Still Microsoft Propaganda, Sometimes Funded by Microsoft
Notice his focus
Stricter Enforcement of Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act is Sorely Needed
Who's keeping track anyway?
Calling Plagiarism "Intelligence" is Pure Genius, Brilliance!
One thing to "like" (or dislike) about LLMs is how they're falsely marketed using various buzzwords
Geminispace Promises Simplicity But Also Provides a "bunch of forums that get flood-filled by agitation against the very essence of Gemini itself"
claims of stagnation in Geminispace started because of a person who spent a long time agitating against GNU/Linux as well
Zimbabweans Aren't Into Windows or Microsoft
This cannot be good news for GAFAM
Microsoft's Washington Layoffs Aren't Everything, They're Definitely Not Happening in Just One State in the US
Washington is just more strict with WARN notices
Gemini Links 05/08/2025: Lagrange v1.18.6, No Stagnation in Geminispace, and Fake Coding (Slop)
Links for the day
The Register's Editor in Chief (Who Left for Google) Told Me "AI" Was a Bubble, But Now The Register Gets Paid to Participate in Inflating This Bubble
A lot of the online media is a scam
The Register is Desperate for Money, According to The Register
I decided to check how they're doing as a business
Some Cola Formulas Aren't Secret, But the Barrier is the Branding
That's the power of the channel/distribution, marketing, and brand recognition (accomplished through endless marketing)
Introducing Mission:Libre and FreeXR (and BreakXR)
efforts that accompany the foundations put there by the Free Software Foundation in 1985
Slopwatch: WebProNews, LinuxSecurity, and Some Success Stories
Google News still has a slopfarm issue
Links 05/08/2025: Hey Hi (AI) Passing Fads and GAFAM "Embracing the Military"
Links for the day
Links 05/08/2025: Samsung and Microsoft Layoffs
Links for the day
Rumours of Mass Layoffs at Red Hat Next Week (August 11th, 2025)
The eleventh means next Monday
IBM is Shutting Down (Piecewise)
IBM is basically being liquidated
The Debian Language Police Department (PD)
"there has never been complaints about anyone that was offended by this -off package"
Tesla's Debt More Than Doubled in 2 Years and the Company Will Operate in the Red (at a Loss) Quite Soon
If your first-quarter net income is $409 million and you borrow billions from banks, plus interest to pay on those loans, then you're not far from returning to losses
When The Register MS Says "Linux Backdoor" It Actually Talks About Malware
The leading story in The Register US/MS this morning is Microsoft
Microsoft Windows Fell to 19% "Market Share" in Montenegro
Microsoft must be well aware of this trend
Why We Also Include Gopher Links in Our Gemini (Protocol) Links
There are still many people who use Gopher to relay their messages (like blog posts). They're mostly technical people.
Shouting is an Indication of a Lack of Convincing Argument
Beware what they are attempting to distract from
Mongolia: Microsoft Windows at All-Time Low
in 2009 when Windows was at 99.45% in Mongolia the company was "worth" less than 200 billion dollars
About a Quarter of Today's "linux" News in Google News Came From One Domain and It's a Slopfarm
Not kidding!
Gemini Links 05/08/2025: Zombie Threat and Switching to NixOS
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, August 04, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, August 04, 2025
ChatGPT in Trouble
Watch out for the newer buzzwords
The Register MS Links to the Wrong statCounter Page
They link to older data
Dr. Andy Farnell Explains How Google Turned From "Librarian" Into "Oracle", Telling Us What to Think Instead of Where to Look
Google was always a lousy librarian
Microsoft Layoffs Continue in August 2025
If Microsoft is doing so well, how come about 10 rounds of layoffs in about 7 months in 2025?
Microsoft and Windows Have Many Back Doors, But LLM Slop Keep Claiming That Linux Has "Backdoor"
It's another example of LLM slop as FUD amplifier, via slopfarms as well
In Many Countries Vista 11 Adoption Stalled or Became Negative
Not just because people move to GNU/Linux
Microsofters' Lawyers Are Name-calling and Insulting Microsoft Critics, Even Their Spouses
How not to win arguments
Flagging or Tagging Slop That We Find Online
Right now we use ImageMagick
Links 04/08/2025: Very Bad Weather and Travel Restrictions in China
Links for the day
Gemini Links 04/08/2025: Misiamisia and Mobile Linux
Links for the day
Microsoft's Stock is Like a Religion, Microsoft Goes Into 'Hiding' (From Shareholders)
like a religious person or devout believer, the media just parrot anything Microsoft says
Links 04/08/2025: 80 Years Since Last Nuclear War, IPv6 in China
Links for the day
Groklaw Static Site Relaunches With New Theme, But Many Pages and All the Comments Are Missing
We suppose that's still a lot better than the site being offline, as it was for several months
"For Five decades; For freedoms; For all users" (Original EMACS Turns 50 Next Year)
Linus Benedict Torvalds was only 6 when EMACS started
In Spain, Microsoft's Search Engine Market Share Fell to 2%
16 years have passed since Bing was introduced
Protecting GNU/Linux-Centric Journalism From Serial Sloppers
Unoriginal slop is taking away traffic from the people who did all the real work
It Looks Like Managers at Oracle Now Use LLM Slop to Write Blog Posts
Did he cheat by prompting LLMs for mindless text "filler"?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 03, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 03, 2025
Gemini Links 04/08/2025: Qubes OS and Curious crypto case of certificates (CCCC)
Links for the day