Bonum Certa Men Certa

No More Battistelli Photo Ops With Michelle Lee as EPO Allies Run Out, Countries Without European Patents Pursued Instead

EPO in Angola



Summary: Desperate for some sense of legitimacy, Battistelli travels far and obtains 'trophies' from countries that are irrelevant to the EPO while his few remaining allies quit their jobs

THE EPO is running out of allies. It's running out of allies pretty fast as it's widely recognised that it's run by a bunch of crooks. No person in this field has overlooked all the negative media coverage. Nobody. People have noticed just how few high-level officials even pose for photos with Benoît Battistelli these days. It's not a coincidence. The same is true (to some degree) about the US President...



"People have noticed just how few high-level officials even pose for photos with Benoît Battistelli these days."Battistelli's allies mostly come from countries that are notorious for human rights violations, e.g. China the other day (promoted in Twitter via this and that). In some ways, the EPO is becoming SIPO and is mimicking Chinese (infamously low) standards for patenting. This isn't what Europe needs; it's what Europe needs to compete with.

More interesting, however, was this tweet from the USPTO (June 1st), headed at the time by a Director of Chinese descent. Mr. Klutz, the clown who facilitates the authoritarian regime of Battistelli, is in there (in the photos) and the USPTO wrote: "Commemorating 10 years of cooperation, @EPOorg, @JPO_JPN, @KIPOworld_en, SIPO, and #USPTO sign the IP5 Joint Statement today, June 1."

"In some ways, the EPO is becoming SIPO and is mimicking Chinese (infamously low) standards for patenting."Well, here we can see Michelle Lee touching Battistelli's hands. It will be the last time. Here is the corresponding puff piece from the EPO (warning: epo.org link) and Battistelli's immature brag in his 'blog'. (warning: epo.org link)

What he probably did not know at the time is that Lee was about to leave. Days later she did. Abruptly even.

"We shall see if the Trump administration puts an utterly corrupt man like Rader in charge of the USPTO."We first found out about it when a reader mailed us "USPTO director Michelle Lee has resigned without warning". It correctly noted (as we did at the time) that "[i]n April, more than 50 companies, including Facebook and Cisco, sent a letter to President Trump asking him to keep Lee on board, believing the office would apply stricter standards to technology and software patents under her leadership."

It didn't take long for this news to spread [1, 2] through the mainstream media and many cited the above report (the first we saw). "According to Arstechnica.com," one site said a few days ago, "major technology companies asked President Trump to keep Michelle Lee on board, believing the former Google executive would applying stricter standards to technology and software patents under her leadership."

"As the number of applications from the US declines (the EPO tried to hide it) we can expect the EPO to become more like China and appeal to the Chinese, not the Americans."Indeed, this departure wasn't expected. The media makes it seem as though it was her decision to step down, albeit she was possibly pushed out. We shall see if the Trump administration puts an utterly corrupt man like Rader in charge of the USPTO. The USPTO had a good leader, but she is moving on. It's the EPO that should oust/drive out the head, not the USPTO. We believe, based on our heavy coverage on the matter (over a dozen articles about it), that Lee was pushed out by thugs who started a witch-hunt against her. MIP says that "USPTO associate solicitor Joseph Matal has taken over her duties" and Lee's foes (and supporters of the corrupt Rader as her successor) say "an acting successor has not been named. However, Commissioner for Patents Drew Hirshfeld was being touted by some DC observers as the likely choice, given that current deputy Director Anthony Scardino doesn’t have a background in IP."

So... not Rader. What a relief.

These foes of Lee also said: "The battle to succeed Lee will be unlike anything we've seen before at the USPTO. The stakes are very high. [...] The USPTO director can change rules relating to PTAB & rework examination guidelines. BigTech will be desperate to ensure neither happens."

The LA Times covered it as follows:

America's top patent and trademark official has abruptly resigned from her post.

Michelle Lee, who has been director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for more than two years, submitted a letter of resignation Tuesday afternoon.

"I am confident that the leadership team in place will serve you well during this transition," Lee wrote in an agency-wide memo to staff.


How does that matter to the EPO? Simple. As the number of applications from the US declines (the EPO tried to hide it) we can expect the EPO to become more like China and appeal to the Chinese, not the Americans. The EPO is stretching and leaning to the bottom.

"Angola received not a even a single European Patent last year, but Benoît Battistelli and Klutz do a business trip to Angola."Benoît Battistelli, for example, goes to a photo ops expedition in Angola. Yes, that's right. Angola! Which Battistelli's old 'boss', Nicolas Sarkozy, also strategically visited. All one needs to know is that Angola is totally irrelevant to the EPO (no patents granted) and this EPO puff piece (warning: epo.org link) about the visit demonstrates nothing but a waste of money on Battistelli and his bodyguards (Klutz is there too). When will Benoît Battistelli and his right-hand man Klutz go to Zimbabwe for 'recognition' from Mugabe? He too enjoys an above-the-law status. Maybe they can share some experiences about how to crush people...

Angola received not a even a single European Patent last year, but Benoît Battistelli and Klutz do a business trip to Angola. That says a lot, does it not? Might as well be a trip for leisure, disguised as "for business"... there are safaris in Angola.

The irony should not be missed. In relation to the two terror attacks in England, Battistelli has of course not missed the opportunity for political exploitation. Here is the exploitation of Manchester and the exploitation of London (warning: two epo.org links). Again, in relation to terror, the EPO says it "believes in an open and inclusive society based on the fundamental principles of freedom, equality and justice."

"They, Team Battistelli, are once again milking tragedy (with many human victims) to disseminate patently false characterisations of themselves."Liars.

It takes quite some nerve to say that. They also said: "As an international organisation, we believe in an open and inclusive society based on the fundamental principles of freedom, equality, justice and tolerance. Such attacks will never be able to destroy these principles."

That makes just about as much sense as Mugabe saying it. It's beyond laughable. It is deeply offensive. They, Team Battistelli, are once again milking tragedy (with many human victims) to disseminate patently false characterisations of themselves.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Former Debian Project Leader Branden Robinson Cautions Against Cover-up and Censorship in Debian
Debian drama. Again.
It's Friday Again and Many People Leave IBM for Good (IBM Should be Reported for Illegal NDAs That Hide Layoffs)
we very seldom see anyone deviating a lot from the "template-like" narrative, let alone mentioning "layoffs" or "RA" or some other term that implies non-consensual departure
What Do People Ever Buy From Microsoft Anyway (Not PCs)?
Microsoft sells two things these days: 1) vapourware/promises. 2) its stock.
Gemini Links 20/02/2026: "Mainstream Unix, Underground Unix", Slop Staging DDoS Attacks Against Small Sites
Links for the day
 
Links 21/02/2026: "Moving Away From Cloudflare", Many Layoffs or Shutdowns in Games (Including XBox/Microsoft)
Links for the day
GNU Linux-libre is a Grown-Up Today
"before that, every distro that wanted to respect its users' freedom had to remove itself all of the binary blobs that were distributed as part of the kernel Linux's so-called sources"
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, February 20, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, February 20, 2026
Gemini Links 21/02/2026: "The Evil of Action" and Slop Bots Causing Great Harm Online (Not Just the Web)
Links for the day
Like a Shell
Overreactions can backfire
Not Only Leaders of XBox Got Sacked (Layoffs)
Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond got laid off
9PM on a Friday Night: Microsoft Says the Layoffs Are Not Layoffs
We've said for a long time that XBox is doomed this year
Gemini Links 20/02/2026: Misfin Server and Magic in Programming
Links for the day
analytics.usa.gov Reckons Windows "Market Share" Fell to Just 38%, Vista 11 Not Even a Third of Windows Users
This coming summer Vista 11 turns 5
The New Digg.com is Slop
Slop "summaries" and Serial Sloppers are drowning out the site with fake 'articles' (plagiarism)
Linus Torvalds: Bill Epsteingate Good Enough for Me to Wine and Dine With
Torvalds is more connected to Jeffrey Epstein than Richard Stallman ever was
Our Uptimes Are Always Better Than Any Site That Uses Clownflare
Clownflare as a company operates like a cult
GNU/Linux Apparently Rose to 6% in Uzbekistan
If accurate, this represents a new problem for Microsoft and a big win for Software Freedom
Sponsored Videos and 'Articles' in The Register MS, Stenography as a Service/Product
They should more accurately label these actors
The Little Clique of Sloppers/Spammers About "Linux" Got Even Smaller
Thankfully there are still genuine and legit GNU/Linux sites out there
Links 20/02/2026: Microsoft Intentionally Kills Older Hardware, "The Story of XBox" Shows How Defective Microsoft Hardware Really Was
Links for the day
Turkmenistan One of Many Countries Where Microsoft Fell to Distant Third in Search
We expect many layoffs in Bing some time soon
Don't Wait for "Red Hat Layoffs" Because After Bluewashing They're IBM RAs and Don't Wait for "IBM Layoffs" Because They're Perpetual
IBM layoffs are silent and "forever" (small trickle that never ends and is widespread - after all IBM is a very global and ubiquitous firm)
Links 20/02/2026: Standards, Science, and Politics
Links for the day
IBM Inclusivity: Red Hat Summit is for Rich Sponsors Like Microsoft and Rich Guests Who Pay $500 a Day
Nothing signals societal tolerance more than paying a large military contractor
GNU/Linux Adoption is Higher in Richer Countries
Is it because freedom is actually expensive - something that only privileged people can pursue?
Links 20/02/2026: Windows TCO Versus Deutsche Bahn, Europe Seeks More Independent Digital Future
Links for the day
IBM, Red Hat and Fedora: Don't Say "Master", It Offends People. Also IBM, Red Hat and Fedora: "Master Podman".
The hypocrisy at Red Hat and Fedora shows no boundaries
IBM Layoffs Aren't Just in IBM 'Proper'
Who is still using Lotus after the HCL move?
The Register MS Gets Paid by Gartner to Promote a Ponzi Scheme for Gartner, Microsoft, and Others
The credibility of that site will suffer because it tries to sell a major scam to its audience
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, February 19, 2026
IRC logs for Thursday, February 19, 2026
Gemini Links 19/02/2026: "Towards a Gemini Famicom Resource" and Dumping Microsoft
Links for the day
IBM Behaves Like a Company Looking for Loose Change Between Sofa Cushions
Chasing laid-off workers for dollars and even pennies, making excuses and devising loopholes (such as PIPs) to flout severance obligations
Microsoft Found Another Bailout Opportunity: Killing People
Good thing that Nadella is not racist!
No "Smart Mobs" (Social Control Media) in BRIC?
It looks like the "Social" "Media" sites tracked by statCounter see little from (or of) BRIC, and moreover it is declining fast
The Few Slopfarms We Saw Today
The sentiment has changed a lot
Links 19/02/2026: Protecting Framework Laptop 13, Hardware Drive Shortages
Links for the day
In Africa's Second-Largest Nation, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Opera 10 Times Bigger Than Firefox (and GNU/Linux Now at 5%)
This will become an accessibility problem
Links 19/02/2026: "A.I.pocalypse" Inevitable and "Butlers to LLMs"
Links for the day
An Inherently Royal (Monarchs') Legal System Where Size Matters (Big Capital Eats the Small)
This reinforces the notion that justice is only for those who can afford it
These Statistics Should Keep Microsoft Shareholders Awake at Night
Windows is, in general (all versions collectively), declining over time
Economic Failure and Other Harsh Realities Have Nothing to Do With Slop 'Innovation'
Advanced propaganda, not advanced 'AI' [...] They attack workers while insulting their intelligence
Spaniards Shutting Down MElon's Digital Weapon of "Smart Mobs"
Are the Spanish people already acting based on gut feeling and shunning/shutting out the provocation vector?
Bitcoin: government engagement contradictions
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Richard Stallman in the United States - Part II - "Haters Gonna Hate"
we shall carry on with this series at the right pace
Typical! Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Tells Victims of Fraud to Wait 10 Weeks
justice delayed is justice denied
EPO Union Leaders in Rijswijk Explain Where EPO Strikes Stand and How to Prepare for Next Week's
We have some revelations to share in a few days
statCounter: Only One in 350 Iranians Would Use Microsoft for Web Search
Microsoft is trying to fake "demand"
Slides Shown a Week Ago by the EPO's Staff Committee Ahead of the Second Very Large Strike
This coming weekend we'll drop a 'bombshell' of sorts
EPO "Cocaine Communication Manager" - Part II - Illegal Drug Addicts Mobbing the Wrong People, This Will Definitely Backfire
This year may well be the last year of Team Campinos. Nobody will hire them after that.
Mass Layoffs (But Silent Layoffs) Still Happening in IBM, You Need Only Look Closely (There Are NDAs, PIPs, 'Early Retirement' Sweeteners and IBM - Like Microsoft - Skirts the WARN Act)
the layoffs are definitely happening
Microsoft's "AI CEO" (Slop Propagandist) is Projecting, Many Microsoft "Jobs to be Replaced With All-Indian Low-Paid Staff in 12 Months"
Windows is perishing
Very Little Slop
We are not finding much slop anymore
Links 19/02/2026: Illegal Kangaroo Court for Patents Attracts Aggressive Firms, Public Domain Review Grows
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/02/2026: Taxing the Rich, Raspberry Pi 4 Tinkering
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, February 18, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, February 18, 2026