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

Links 20/04/2026: Chatbots Motivate Manslaughter, GAFAM’s ‘Tobacco Moment’
Links for the day
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part II - It's About Politics, Not Science
Tomorrow we'll discuss what the cocaine proponents (or apologists) deem to be "ethics"
SLAPP Censorship - Part 52 Out of 200: Phil Golding Appointed Bar Standards Board (BSB) Chief, Misogyny Must End
How many rules will they "bend" or even breach?
 
Dr. Andy Farnell on Privacy Failings and Shallow Media Coverage
Bad media paves the way for failed societies
Gemini Links 20/04/2026: Fahrenheit 451, Small Web Advocacy, and Offgrid Holdout
Links for the day
Debian Has a New Project Leader (DPL)
We plan to upgrade Debian some time this month
This Morning The Register MS Published SPAM With "AI" 36 Times in It. This is What The Register MS is Paid to Publish.
It's selling out to Ponzi schemers
Throwing Rocks in Houses of Glass
Lots of "virtue-signalling" against ICE
Links 20/04/2026: Brave Origin Nightly, Scuttling USAID Gives 'Soft Power' to China, and White House Gives Money to Russia (Through Oil Sales)
Links for the day
EPO Cocainegate Escalates - Part II - "Cocaine Communication Manager" Luis Berenguer is Back Without Punishment
Latest on Luis Berenguer
Gemini Links 20/04/2026: "I Hate Computers" and "Why I de-Googled"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, April 19, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, April 19, 2026
If You're Against War, Why Would You Pay IBM Red Hat?
Red Hat's largest clients aren't geeks; they're militaries
Uplifting Mood in Manchester
Looking behind - and ahead - after a day of relaxation
SLAPP Censorship - Part 51 Out of 200: On Perjury and What It Means to Take Third-Party Funding to Attack Reporter and His Family (in Another Continent)
threats of prison sent to my wife
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part I - EPO Management Talks About "Ethics" While Cocaine Users Run the Office
Let's start with the basics
EPO Cocainegate Escalates - Part I - Cocaine Abuse in Family of Campinos (President’s Office)
at the EPO's management you can do illegal drugs and still represent Europe's second-largest institution
Gemini Links 19/04/2026: Big Brother and the Telescreen, Syncing Gemini Capsule With a Makefile
Links for the day
Links 19/04/2026: Introducing “Fighting Fascism” Podcast and Kyiv Mass Shooting
Links for the day
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
What EPO Staff, the Staff Union of the European Patent Office (SUEPO), and Europe Want and Need
Who should be served by patents?
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