Bonum Certa Men Certa

Top Officials in French Government Are Growing Tired of Battistelli's Abuses at the European Patent Office (EPO)

Not the first time Axelle Lemaire speaks out against Battistelli, even in his own media-shaping events (see below, from 2015)

16M



Summary: An automated translation of a recent debate about the EPO in the French government, culminating in intervention by Richard Yung

IT IS no secret that many politicians, including several French ones, have grown tired of the EPO's management, which they view as a disgrace/liability to France that damages the country's image.



The other day Mr. Yung spoke about it and then wrote about, but soon afterwards he removed his blog post, whereupon we contacted Yung and asked for the reason. Well, he has just posted this augmented piece (same thing again, but this time with text rather than video).

The automated translation reveals involvement also from Axelle Lemaire, who spoke about the issues as far back as 2 years ago. We could use a proper French translations from a native (mother's tongue) speaker; that would be appreciated. Maybe SUEPO will do this soon, as it noticed the removal of the previous post and took note of the revision earlier today. It looks like, just in case, it also made a copy of the text in French [PDF]. We prefer not to comment on automated translations as these are not reliable and can sometimes propagate confusion (due to subtleties that machines cannot capture). Here is how Google translated the whole thing (unmodified and uncorrected)

Oral question on the deterioration of the social climate in the EPO: reply from the Government

Written by Richard Yung Tuesday, 21 February 2017 00:00

On 21 February I asked the Government about the deterioration of the social climate in the European Patent Office (EPO) .

Below, you will find the text and The video of my speech and the response of the Secretary of State for Digital and Innovation , Axelle Lemaire.

The Chairman . I call Mr Richard Yung, the author of Question No 1578 to the Minister for Economic Affairs and Finance.

Mr. Richard Yung . My unfortunately recurrent question concerns the deterioration of the social climate in the European Patent Office, the EPO. Since 2010, the measures implemented by the EPO management have led to a reduction in the fundamental rights of the staff: I am thinking in particular of limiting the right to strike, calling into question freedom of association or Right to collective bargaining. It appears that the EPO is the organization most often challenged before the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labor Organization, which is called upon to rule on staff disputes in international organizations. In a judgment of 2015, the Hague Court of Appeal found several measures taken by the EPO management illegal. The latter appealed to the Court of Cassation, claiming immunity from execution, which was in fact enjoyed by international organizations. Since the beginning of 2016, several sanctions have been imposed on union representatives: three lay-offs and one demotion. In addition, investigations and disciplinary proceedings are under way. In a resolution adopted on 16 March 2016, the EPO's Governing Board, which is its highest authority, calls on the President of the Office, inter alia, to "ensure that disciplinary sanctions and procedures are not only fair but Considered to be strong, and to consider the possibility of appealing to an external review, arbitration or mediation body ". This resolution was ignored by the management of the EPO, who was content to organize a "Potemkin" social conference, one might say. The Bavarian Parliament has recently debated and debated the matter, although the immunity from jurisdiction and enforcement enjoyed by the EPO makes it difficult for States to take action. The proper functioning of the EPO is one of the prerequisites for the success of the European patent, which is proven, and for the implementation of the future unitary patent. I therefore ask the Government what solutions it proposes to propose, in particular through the French delegation to the EPO's Board of Directors, in order to encourage the resumption of social dialogue and the emergence of a new mode of governance, As well as the review of sanctions.

The Chairman . I call the Secretary of State.

Ms Axelle Lemaire , Secretary of State to the Minister of Economy and Finance, in charge of digital and innovation. The European Patent Office, created by the European Patent Convention of 5 October 1973, is an intergovernmental organization that has been operational since 1977. It employs nearly 7,000 agents from thirty different countries. Its Management Board, which brings together representatives of thirty-eight Member States, has decided to reform the EPO staff regulations in order to ensure its long-term financial viability. This reform, which covers the entire social framework - pensions, remuneration, social benefits, etc. - must be implemented in consultation with the staff representatives. This is the beginning of the story ... In February 2015, the Hague Court of Appeal questioned certain decisions taken internally at the EPO. The Office appealed to the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, which in a decision of 20 January 2017 annulled the judgments of the courts of The Hague and confirmed the jurisdictional immunity of the Office. In March 2016, France supported the initiative taken by the EPO's Board of Directors, which voted a resolution to underline the urgent need to resolve the social problem that is causing this organization. The resolution, which was adopted nearly a year ago, provided for the implementation of a social audit, the presentation to the Board of Directors of changes in staff regulations and the suspension of disciplinary proceedings. What about today ? The objective, independent study carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers, presented in October 2016, highlights the deterioration of the social climate within the Office. This degradation undermines the image of the organization; It is also harmful, indirectly, but certainly, in the image of France abroad and within international organizations, despite the very favorable remuneration of agents compared to other international organizations. This study recommends ways to improve existing disciplinary procedures. The March 2016 resolution provided for the Board of Directors to review the status of EPO staff in order to change the guidelines on internal investigations and disciplinary procedures. The French representatives on the board of directors will be very careful to ensure that this revision is conducive to appeasement of social dialogue within the institution. Indeed, that is what is at stake. No less than five ministers have joined forces with parliamentarians to explain these issues: Emmanuel Macron, Michel Sapin, Christophe Sirugue, myself, and also the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Marc Ayrault. We have been deeply involved in ensuring that decisions taken at the EPO's boards of directors are in line with the rules and jurisprudence of international law. The secretary of state for industry, Christophe Sirugue, who has had several exchanges with EPO management, continues to be fully mobilized to reaffirm France's determination to see an unacceptable social situation standardized. This standardization is essential to create the conditions for greater efficiency of the EPO in the context of the implementation of the European patent with unitary effect, which should enable Europe to distinguish itself in terms of intellectual property And industry in the world of innovation.

The Chairman . I call Mr Richard Yung.

Mr. Richard Yung . Madam Secretary of State, I agree with you that the current situation is detrimental to the staff and affects the motivation of the staff and the Office as a whole. Moreover, it taints the reputation of our country, and I fear that there are still sequels. While I note the specific action taken by the Government, I see that this is really happening on the EPO's Board of Directors, which is the determining body. It is here that France must make her voice heard. Another possibility, provided for by the Munich Convention, would be to convene a Council of Ministers responsible for industrial property. He could discuss a number of issues: the unitary patent, which you have mentioned and which will soon come into force, plant patents, and the management of the EPO's staff. That is a proposal I am sending to your sagacity, Madam Secretary of State.


We eagerly wait (or hope) for a human-produced translation of the above.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Digital Sanitation Good Practices
leave behind Microsoftism
10 Days Ago Richard Stallman Gave a Long Interview in French (linuxfr.org)
English translation
Science, Not Fast Food/Junk Food
The commercial exploitation of users won't stop until users exercise full control over their software or - more broadly - their computing (including data)
[Video] Dr. Richard Stallman at Technické Univerzitě v Liberci
New/via libre-liberec.cz
Security is Desirable, But Not When the Term Security is Misused to Imply Centralisation of "Trust" (Whose?)
'Security' is not an excuse for vendor lock-in
 
Links 18/10/2025: Madagascar's President Flees and ICE Arrests Protest Comedian Robby Roadsteamer
Links for the day
Richard Stallman Near the European Patent Office (EPO) in 3 Days From Now
It'll be a good opportunity for patent examiners to listen, ask questions, and maybe greet him in person
From Scholar to Booster of Slop (and Even Slop in His Own Blog)
We're going to keep an eye on future posts of his
End of Vista 10 Also Good News for the BSDs
There are many news sites that recommend trying GNU/Linux this month
What's Wrong With Liking Parrots or Birds as Pets?
They'd demonise people for speaking about freedom, no matter what they say or do
The Free Software Foundation, Which Has Appointed a 43-Year-Old President, is Looking to Add Another Board Member (or Treasurer)
expect the FSF to add more people
Richard Stallman Confirms Next Week's Talk at Technical University of Munich, We Urge EPO Staff to Attend
That's probably late enough for EPO staff to attend after work
Gemini Links 18/10/2025: Notifications and Geminaut
Links for the day
Many Red Hat People Are Leaving, But It'll Be Framed Publicly as Leaving IBM
Similarly, IBM layoffs (or "RAs" as they're called) include Red Hat layoffs
Expect More Waves of Microsoft Layoffs This Month (at Least Two Rounds Confirmed Already)
From what we can gather, assuming the recent rumours about XBox are true, there will be at least 3 waves of Microsoft layoffs this month alone
Security Issues in Cisco and Jenkins Passed Off as "Linux" Problems
Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt (FUD) tactics
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, October 17, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, October 17, 2025
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, Linux Journal (Slashdot Media), UbuntuPIT, and Google News (Noise)
egregious plagiarism
Links 17/10/2025: Better Answers Sought After Air Crashes, "China Fans Patriotic Sentiment as Trade War With U.S. Heats Up"
Links for the day
Links 17/10/2025: Fentanylware (CheeTok) Causing Problems, Japanese Government Blasts Slop
Links for the day
The Linux Foundation Seems to Have Turned Linux.com Not Only Into a Spamfarm But Also LLM Slopfarm
it's polluting the Web, even important domains like Linux.com, with spam and LLM slop
Links 17/10/2025: UK’s Largest Breach Penalty and Windows TCO Examples
Links for the day
Go Watch Video About Librephone, Get Microsoft Ads
Very ethical company...
Campaign of Defamation Against the People Who Built NixOS (and Are Now Pushed Out From Their Own Project)
We've already grown familiar with - and resistant to - such tactics
Links 17/10/2025: Nestlé Crisis, Canada Post Versus 'Gig Economy' [sic] and Vista 11 Breaks Itself
Links for the day
Tux Machines Has Helped Separate Opinions/Analysis From News
In September 2023 we decided to split things apart and not repeat links in both sites
Tux Machines Has Improved Navigation of GNU/Linux and BSD News
Some more 'wiring' work
What a World Would Look Like If Everyone Used Free Software Only
Freedom is what matters, not "Open".
The Media Helps Microsoft, Amazon and Others (GAFAM and Beyond) Lie About Mass Layoffs Amid Valuation Bubble
The media, instead of saying that there's an "AI bubble" crashing the economy might instead choose the narrative of "jobs replaced by AI"
Bad Tempered? You Might Have Just Given Away That You're Losing the Argument
Brett Wilson LLP is fully aware that it is being investigated
Richard Stallman (RMS) is a Target of Defamation Campaigns Because of His Views on Software (But Politics Are the Excuse for Defaming Him)
Here in this site we try to refrain from politics, except in Daily Links
End of Vista 10 and Rise of GNU/Linux as Client Side Operating System
It seems certain GNU/Linux will grow in popularity over time
Taking Stock of a Week's Worth of EPO Leaks
We remain committed to exposing EPO corruption as long as it keeps happening
Mathieu Parreaux claims FINMA knew since day one
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Calumny, Libel, Joerg Jaspert & debian-private untouchable cyberbullies
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, October 16, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, October 16, 2025
Techrights Turns 19 in 3 Weeks
coverage of suppressed topics and protecting all sources/whistleblowers
International E-Waste Day Same Day as End of Vista 10
message from Akira Urushibata
The EPO's Central Staff Committee Presents Evidence That Staff Compensation Lowered While the Office Increases Income by Illegally Granting Invalid Patents
These people become millionaires by doing illegal things
Second or Third Wave of Microsoft Mass Layoffs in October 2025, This Time Portugal
Those are just the ones we know about, there may be several more
'Help Net Security' (helpnetsecurity.com) May Have Become a Slopfarm as Well
Zeljka Zorz, Editor-in-Chief at Help Net Security, was reported to us
Gemini Links 17/10/2025: Rant About Network Solutions, Strange Anomaly on Lagrange
Links for the day
EPO Staff Representation Lacks Social Dialogue With Relevant Management, Controversial and Sometimes Illegal Policies Implemented Without Necessary Input
"In this open letter, the CSC requests that the President submits an agenda item in the next available General Consultative Committee (GCC) meeting on setting up regular meetings between the CSC and the higher management of DG1."
Links 16/10/2025: Political Leftovers and Gemini Protocol Links
Links for the day
Lies Need to be Corrected
the Court never invited us
Slopwatch: Guardian Digital (linuxsecurity.com), Slashdot, Google News, and More
Maybe one day, once the bubble pops completely, Google News will just outright delist all slopfarms
Lufthansa Modern Slavery, Joerg Jaspert (ganneff) & Debian NSB Softwareentwicklung charade
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 16/10/2025: US Starting More Trade Wars With China, CIA War on Venezuela
Links for the day
SUSE Blog is Still LLM Slop, Marketing Manager at SUSE Cannot Write
Would you buy from a company or seek support from a company that cannot even write (or fakes writing)?
Pretend You're Not Dead: Microsoft Spent Almost Two Decades Rebranding Things as "Cloud, Then "AI", Now "XBox" and "Quantum"
"AI" bubble pops, Microsoft harping about "quantum" already
IBM Allegedly Found New Tricks for Silent Layoffs: LPI, Then MIS (Not PIP)
Remember that "Red Hat layoffs" won't be reported after the bluewashing
Links 16/10/2025: Red Lines and Feeding of Microsoft Trolls
Links for the day
MIT as a Propaganda Mill of GAFAM, Paid by GAFAM
"the news" today
Links 16/10/2025: Lies Euphemised as ‘Dueling Versions of Reality’ and Microsoft "Open" "Hey Hi" Resorts to Porn as No Business Model Was Found
Links for the day
The Local Staff Committee Munich (Representation of the EPO's Staff) Explains When Cluster of Pregnancies May Result in Reduced Pay
"...even one week of part-time working is sufficient to reduce the salary you perceive during the entirety of your maternity leave."
Another Black Eye for 'Secure Boot', Microsoft Media Tries to Blame "Linux"
It enables Microsoft to remotely control computers, even computers that don't run Windows and never had any Microsoft software installed
Slopwatch: UbuntuPIT, linuxsecurity.com, and Various Slopfarms in Google News Attacking "Linux"
A new survey of the Web said that the majority of the Web is now slop (that's being said in the news this week)
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, October 15, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Links 16/10/2025: Increased Use of Social Control Media Surveillance in US, French Rage Over Pensions
Links for the day