Bonum Certa Men Certa

Death of 'IP' Media: Front Groups of Microsoft Described as “Representing SME Developers” by Bristows

European Digital SME AllianceSame people who lied to us about UPC being beneficial to SMEs (the very opposite is true)

Summary: Fake groups (AstroTurfing) whose purpose is to hijack and misrepresent the views of one's competition (e.g. SMEs) are being echoed if not amplified by Annsley Merelle Ward at IP Kat this morning, distracting from real representatives of SMEs (like the European Digital SME Alliance)

THE state of IP Kat has gotten so bad that it's not even amusing. Now that there is very major news at the EPO, namely the withdrawal of Battistelli's 'boss' [1, 2], nothing at all is being said (nor will be said).



Here is a new comment about it:

Seems like the sands are shifting at the top of the Administrative Council ...

Translations and Speculations About Jesper Kongstad’s Planned Departure From the EPO

And what curious timing !

Just before the kick-off of the next Presidential election campaign ...

All we need now are some hacked e-mails or maybe a USB stick with compromising data ...

What a shame that the IPKat no longer reports on these exciting developments in the land of EPOnia ...


Well, the Bristows-run IP Kat has been busy marketing the UPC, patent trolls in the UK, FRAND and so on. In other words, it stands for pretty much everything that harms British companies, which already complain about this. Microsoft has long exploited FRAND (while lobbying for it) as a tool for combating adoption of Free/Libre open source software. That's no secret. It's a widely-known fact and we reported/wrote about it many times around 2008-2010. We also published leaked material related to this (demonstrating how Microsoft front groups had been altering laws to promote FRAND behind closed doors).

"...the Bristows-run IP Kat has been busy marketing the UPC, patent trolls in the UK, FRAND and so on."This morning, to make things even worse, Annsley Merelle Ward took it a step further by spreading a lie about Association for Competitive Technology (ACT), Microsoft's villainous proxy for a couple of decades. She was saying it's "pro-FRAND tech trade association representing SME developers," but that's an utter lie. SMEs are not pro-FRAND. Microsoft is. And this is yet another attempt by ACT to hijack the voices of one's opposition/competition. What is the content of this so-called 'article'? It's just a copy-paste job for this AstroTurfing front. Incredible!

"Microsoft has long exploited FRAND (while lobbying for it) as a tool for combating adoption of Free/Libre open source software."Look what IP Kat has become! Is IP Kat now reprinting and amplifying Microsoft lobbying fronts? Coming from an author who professed admiration for Microsoft's chief patent extortionist? What next? Guest posts from Microsoft?

This issue of Microsoft propaganda isn't limited to IP Kat (Microsoft was the sole chief sponsor of that recent event Bristows flew to). There are similar issues with Microsoft-connected media like IAM. They're an extensive network of lobbying, not news or information. It makes it hard to trust all sorts of publications, for quite a few of them receive money that affects their coverage. Someone recently advised us to speak to Taz, a German publication which may be interested in covering EPO scandals. "I don't know if I can trust Taz with material," I replied, as "IAM betrayed some before." Back then we weren't quite aware of IAM's deep ties to the EPO, including financial strings. "I don't know who owns Taz," I continued. "After the experience with IAM I am very picky where I send information/stuff." Yes, I do try to encourage the media to cover EPO scandals and often these endeavors are successful.

"This issue of Microsoft propaganda isn't limited to IP Kat (Microsoft was the sole chief sponsor of that recent event Bristows flew to)."In summary, here's a word of caution. Whatever IP Kat published under the name "Merpel", it's no longer the same Kat and media should in general be treated very cautiously unless one knows who is really behind it and where loyalties lie. One sure thing is, IAM is still very much in bed with the EPO, even if it doesn't write much about it. See what happened in Korea a couple of weeks ago.

Recent Techrights' Posts

The Goal of Coopetition Assumes You're Friends
it will never work with Microsoft
Seductive Mirage or Allure of Complex, Proprietary Coffee Machines (or Similar White Elephants)
Software is a lot like those things
Hate Mail From Anonymous Cowards
if this persists, we'll need to escalate
Informal Open Letter to the Lawyer of the Microsofters (on Who's Funding the SLAPPs Against Techrights)
Whenever I ask about the funding they try to change the subject and act all aggressive
Microsoft Lunduke is Just Provoking People for Provocation's Sake
Be forewarned and remember where this guy came from: Microsoft
 
Sales of Windows on PCs (Windows Licences) Go Down
Microsoft has a big problem in its hands
The Hype That Microsoft and The Register MS (Among Others) Promote Helps Stage DDoS Attacks on Free Software Sites
Microsoft is, to put it bluntly, pure evil
Links 09/08/2025: Putin Allegedly to Visit Alaska (Which He Deems Part of Russia), Mike Tyson Sued for Copyright Infringement
Links for the day
Slopwatch: Linux Journal, LinuxSecurity, and Google News With Its Slopfarms of Choice
SEO spam, made with LLMs
Follow the Money: The Register MS Gets Paid to Promote "Hey Hi" Ponzi Scheme/Hype, Some Fake 'Articles' Might Be Composed by LLMs Already
paid to promote slop
Gemini Links 09/08/2025: Rethinking Aliases and Posting on Gopher vs. the Web
Links for the day
Links 09/08/2025: Apollo 13 Astronaut Jim Lovell Dies, Slop Future Bleak
Links for the day
After Shutting Down Studios, Divisions, Applications (e.g. Skype) Microsoft is Also Shutting Down 'Apps'
Cuts all around as layoffs persist this month, Microsoft tries to get many people to resign, and debt skyrockets
Most of Geminispace Can Probably Fit on a CD-ROM or a DVD (the Textual Part)
If one excludes very large capsules and ones that contain non-textual contenty
Eventually UEFI 'Secure Boot' Will be Dropped (Users Will Demand Its Removal and Boycott Its Pushers)
we expect OEMs will just listen to users
The Register MS: We Know Slop is a Bubble and Mindless Hype, But We Get Paid to Participate
Call out the culprits
There Are Probably Over a Million Pages in Geminispace
there are two many limitations which merit a mention when it comes to assessing magnitude
Besieged by Plagiarists Who Play With LLMs and Image Fusions
We really need to exercise or use our collective voice to oppose Serial Sloppers
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, August 08, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, August 08, 2025
Gemini Links 09/08/2025: Water Painting and Political Violence
Links for the day
Slopwatch: LLM Sloppers in Google News, LinuxSecurity, and More
they also perpetuate some falsehoods as the LLMs lack any comprehension
Links 08/08/2025: China King of Plastics and US Dictator Plans to Meet Russian Dictator
Links for the day
Gemini Links 08/08/2025: Cracking a Family Member's Password and Overdose of Slop
Links for the day
Red Hat's Latest Talent Hunt, Day Ahead of Mass Layoffs, is Yet Another Microsoft Executive
Red Hat will apparently commence mass layoffs early this coming Monday
Links 08/08/2025: "Quit Facebook" and High Cost of Microsoft/Windows Shown Again ("BlackSuit")
Links for the day
Good Morning, Readers of The Register MS
Things The Register MS could (but does not) cover this morning
Why Gemini Protocol Has a Bright Future
Maybe Gemini Protocol's promise becomes more appealing as the Web turns to slop and bloat
It's a Lot Easier to Participate in the Unethical System Than to Oppose Injustices in It
Going after powerful and high-budget interests is never easy
Microsofters Filed Two SLAPPs Against Us, Now They Cannot Keep Up With Judges' Orders
For over 4 months already their facilitator in London has been under investigation by British authorities because of what's being done to my wife and I
Censorship Regarding Red Hat Layoffs
Talk about this? They'd rather not.
Struggling to Cut Costs, Microsoft Continues Shutting Down and Cancelling Stuff This Month
There are August layoffs at Microsoft
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, August 07, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, August 07, 2025
Fake 'Linux' Articles, Written by Bots to Take Traffic Away From Real Articles
LLM slop helps replace information with junk or misinformation
When Google's Googlebombing of "Gemini" Was Not Enough; They Now Also Googlebomb "Gemini Space"?
We know GAFAM not only worries about Gemini Protocol but also attempts to 'infiltrate' Geminispace
The Register MS Promotes Microsoft Slop, Assumes All Readers Use Microsoft Windows
Microsoft really dominates the site
Gemini Links 08/08/2025: KDE/Qt Development and What's Missing From "Retro"
Links for the day
Links 07/08/2025: US Punishes India Instead of Russia, Attacks Law Firms to Prevent Scrutiny
Links for the day
Read Us in Geminispace as Well
it's definitely a lot simpler than using a Web browser
Once a Site About BSD and GNU/Linux, and After Months of Silence, LinuxBSDos.com Comes Back Only as a Slopfarm
very frustrating
Links 07/08/2025: Hardware Wars, Mass Recall of Colgate Total Clean Mint, More Microsoft Holes Found
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/08/2025: "Right To Manage" and LoRa Analysis
Links for the day
For the First Time in a Month OSI's "OpenSource.org" Blogs and It's Basically a Microsoft Blog Post (Microsoft Controls OSI)
For the first time in a month OSI writes something and it is Microsoft propaganda composed by a Microsoft-salaried operative
Microsoft, Already Borrowing 3 Billion Dollars a Month, is Trying to Cause Many People to Resign
MSN (i.e. Microsoft) and others openly admit it
GAFAM 'Says' is Front Page "News"
The point of journalism is to check and assess facts, not parrot what people and companies merely claim
Links 07/08/2025: Apple Makes False Promises, More Trouble for Microsoft
Links for the day
OSS Didn't Always Mean Open Source Software
"oligarchs all the way down"
The Register MS Does More Microsoft Sez or GitHub Sez (Says) Pieces
60 minutes ago
They Want Activists to Just Barely Walk and Eat, Not Do Activism Anymore
It's sort of like the ending of '1984'
Quit Perpetuating the Narrative of Gemini Protocol 'Dying' (It's False)
The "whisper campaign" against Gemini Protocol
Criticising Social Control Media in Social Control Media
Many people are quitting Social Control Media (fewer of them announce this in public)
Non-Free JavaScript Programs in Banks Aren't Even the Biggest Problem
Technology was supposed to make life easier; in practice, however, for most of us the opposite effect can be observed
Slopfarms Are Typically Fake News
Slopfarms typically relay falsehoods
Gemini Links 06/08/2025: Replacing a Pocket Watch and Buying in Bulk
Links for the day
IBM is Obliterating Fedora
"Fedora releases were shipping with an increasing number of bugs on launch day even while I was using it for a several year stretch."
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, August 06, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, August 06, 2025