Bonum Certa Men Certa

In the European Patent Office, Battistelli Implements Changes That Clearly Defy the Rule of Law

De facto martial law under King Battistelli (like ErdoÄŸan in Turkey)

EPO Stasi

EPO Stasi

EPO Stasi



Summary: The EPO has quickly descended into a police state, but the supervisors of Battistelli (national delegates) have thwarted or at least postponed his incredible pursuit of imposition by the highest-ranking governor (himself) on everyone, effectively removing all power from the previous executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the EPO (Organisation), under the pretense that this is necessary for the Office to function effectively (e.g., to maintain order and security, or to provide core services)

SOMEONE recently leaked to us an opinion on the Investigation and Disciplinary Guidelines [PDF, 17MB] (or disciplinary and investigation guidelines) proposed for Battistelli's chinchillas (the Administrative Council, or AC for short) to pass to him on a silver platter, probably for continued persecution of perceived 'enemies' and union-busting activities. We saw some portions of discussions about it, in particular after this failed to pass (the chinchillas found some backbone for a change). "A Game Changer" is what one person called it (alluding to the UK delegation which expressed its feeling that this could be a “game changer”), but it wasn't long before Battistelli resumed union-busting activities, in defiance of the chinchillas' opposition (he doesn't care what they say, he just does whatever he wants anyway). "It seems that as the result of a coordinated effort by the AC delegates, both the Investigation and Disciplinary guidelines proposed by the EPO have been removed from the AC agenda," said one person. There's some background to all this, namely "the somewhat unfruitful discussion in the Board 28," which is definitely aware of the crisis at the EPO*.



"Curiously, based on what we learned, Battistelli grossly violated/ignored what was decided on because "in clear terms delegates insisted that no decision should be taken on presently running disciplinary procedures until the new procedure is put in place!""As a result of this rejection (Battistelli not getting what he demanded), the opinion will be taken into account and the proposals revised for next month's meeting. There seems to be growing interest in improving protections for staff representatives and union leaders. Has the coin finally dropped? Is the AC realising that Battistelli is totally out of control?

Curiously, based on what we learned, Battistelli grossly violated/ignored what was decided on because "in clear terms delegates insisted that no decision should be taken on presently running disciplinary procedures until the new procedure is put in place!"

Well, Battistelli fired a staff representative regardless. What a mockery to the AC. The tyrant is so insecure that he doesn't care what the rules say. Delegates from Switzerland, France, Britain and the Netherlands in particular got snubbed by Battistelli. Isn't it time for them to fire him already?

"Delegates from Switzerland, France, Britain and the Netherlands in particular got snubbed by Battistelli."As staff representatives explicitly put it, "there is no specific safeguard for Staff representatives or Union officials in disciplinary procedures, especially when the complaints are filed directly by the President or a high official [like Bergot] acting under his authority."

In relation to the person whom Battistelli brutally fired this month, representatives wrote at the time that he had been "downgraded in Jan 2016 (against the recommendation of the Disciplinary Committee). In fact, the Office has launched investigation and disciplinary procedures against several other Staff representatives as well, affecting negatively their health."

EPO workers are also citizens of European nations. Their human rights cannot simply be disregarded when they visit Eponia**. _________ * The summary results of the 75th Board 28 meeting said that "The new proposals were welcomed, but nevertheless no common understanding could be reached on the right to remain silent and on other issues. The President had strong reservations on this issue, insisting on the necessity to ensure an efficient procedure to fight fraud and harassment, and reserved the possibility to withdraw the package from the agenda."

** Incidentally, later today Julian Assange will have his rights revisited and his lawyers currently (overnight) spread around this image (copied below).

UK ruling

Recent Techrights' Posts

What EPO Staff, the Staff Union of the European Patent Office (SUEPO), and Europe Want and Need
Who should be served by patents?
 
Links 19/04/2026: Mass Layoffs at GAFAM Again (10% Laid Off), Azure Capacity Problems (Enshittification)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, April 18, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, April 18, 2026
GAFAM Decided to Stop 'Old' Formats From Working, Format-Shifting Treadmills Resemble the Certificate Cartel Keeping Everybody Forever Chasing Rotations
Lots of extra chores because those who control the browsers decided that "too much choice" is bad, so they'll break "old" sites and make multimedia that's "old" not work anymore (not playable)
Nothing But Vapourware Since XBox Leadership Ousted and Mass Layoffs Will Come Soon
We just don't know the exact date/s... yet
Gemini Links 18/04/2026: Guix and WikiReader
Links for the day
Network Maintenance Next Friday
We must be doing a terrific job so far given how much money gets spent trying to silence us
"The Work-to-rule is Having Effect" at the European Patent Office (EPO)
The media knows how to contact SUEPO, but it's clearly not doing it
Improving the Sites, Not Bloating Them
Sites need to evolve over time. Many conflate evolution with bloat (as if more complexity is desirable).
SLAPP Censorship - Part 50 Out of 200: The Time Staff of Law Firm Burgess Mee Was Showing Up in Letters Sent for a Serial Strangler From Microsoft
Family-friendly? No.
Next Week the Star of the "EPO Reality TV Show" Will Likely be Absent (Absconding the Tough Reality of Widespread Unrest)
He tarnishes the legacy of that surname and the country's image by spouting out lies and hurling abusive insults (lots of the "f word") at staff
Speculations That IBM's CEO is on His Way Out
IBM has mass layoffs, but the media is not covering this [...] IBM is a company in the loo, a firm in a state of rapid disintegration
Slopwatch Was Deprecated, It's Not Coming Back
LLMs that produce many words very fast (and waste a lot of energy in the process) cannot compete with authentic news sites
WELCOME to The Cyber|Show @ Geminispace!
Andy set things up this past week
Links 18/04/2026: Microsoft's PR Department (Waggener Edstrom) and CEO's Wife Buys NPR (BillPR, Now BallmerPR) as Independent/Public Service Media Dims Down
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/04/2026: Chronic Pain and CodingFont Game
Links for the day
Links 17/04/2026: "I Hate the Internet" and Fake Wallet in Apple App Store
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 17, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, April 17, 2026
European Patent Office (EPO) Strikes and Other Industrial Actions Are Working: Patent Application Grants Have Collapsed
Even before the strikes happened any day of the week
SLAPP Censorship - Part 49 Out of 200: Two Americans, One Case, Recycled for Low Budget at Brett Wilson LLP and 5RB Barristers
Change one character, bill the client tens or hundreds of thousands of US dollars
Pension Contribution Increases as Another Attack on Compensation for EPO Staff (Mostly Patent Examiners)
Pension contribution increases!
Almost 1,000 IBM Layoffs Not Newsworthy (Nobody Covers It), Unlike When Snap Does It and Mentions a Celebrated - or Reviled - Buzzword
not a word regarding IBM layoffs
Behind the Scenes With Richard Stallman
If you support his ideas, even if you dislike him as a person, then you'll welcome his ability to speak about those ideas
Gemini Links 17/04/2026: "Many Problems and Inequities in the Legal System", "No Place to Hide"
Links for the day
Links 17/04/2026: SRA Breaks Its Own Rules as Solicitor Attempts Suicide, IPv6 Barely Hits 50% After 20+ Years
Links for the day
ActBlue former IT boss disappearance: Decklin Foster & Debian, Harvard suicide lab, Chris Gleason is wife, whistleblower or both?
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 17/04/2026: Getting competent in NixOS and Alhena 5.5.6 Released
Links for the day
Links 17/04/2026: "We Cannot Lose Sight of Ukraine" and "When Leaders Should Resign"
Links for the day
GizChina Appears to Have Become a Slopfarm, I.e. Fake News Site With Fake Text
Don't waste a moment reading LLM slop, as at the very least it rewards plagiarism [...] Deemed to be slop also by two human beings, not just two scanners
Massive, Cross-Site Strike at the EPO Today
There's coordination across sites for maximal pressure
Dr. Andy Farnell Says "AI" is "Only a Marketing Term" for Things That Exist for "Entertainment Purposes Only"
distortion or misuse of the term (now buzzword/s) "AI"
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 16, 2026
IRC logs for Thursday, April 16, 2026