The EPO's form no. 52300 for requesting entry onto the list of professional representatives
In order to have one's name entered on the list of professional representatives before the European Patent Office, it's necessary to submit a request to the EPO. (warning: epo.org link, clicking can aid spying/IP harvesting by the Office)
"As can be seen from the form, the request is processed by Directorate 5.2.3 which falls under the responsibility of the Vice President of International and Legal Affairs (VP5)."This is normally done using the official form no. 52300. As can be seen from the form, the request is processed by Directorate 5.2.3 which falls under the responsibility of the Vice President of International and Legal Affairs (VP5).
From 1 January 2011 until the end of 2018, this position was held by Raimund Lutz, former head of the German delegation to the Administrative Council.
Lutz (l.) with his protégé Ernst at a junket organised by the German Federal Patent court (2011)
"According to EPO insiders, Lutz who was in charge of the EPO's legal department between 2011 and 2018 was one of the most ruthless internal facilitators of the Battistelli regime."Externally, Battistelli also received vital support from the German delegation on the Administrative Council headed by Lutz's successor in that role, Dr Christoph Ernst, at that time a senior official and ministerial advisor at the German Federal Ministry of Justice.
With hindsight it seems clear that Ernst was already being carefully groomed by "Team Battistelli" as the most promising successor to Lutz in the role of EPO Vice-President in charge of Legal and International Affairs.
In the meantime, in October 2017, Ernst enjoyed an unexpected "promotion" to the position of Administrative Council Chairman. He was parachuted into this position as a "safe pair of hands" to fill the void left by Kongstad's sudden and untimely departure which is rumoured to have been connected with financial irregularities including alleged misappropriation of EPO funds.
"He was parachuted into this position as a "safe pair of hands" to fill the void left by Kongstad's sudden and untimely departure which is rumoured to have been connected with financial irregularities including alleged misappropriation of EPO funds."A little over a year later, in a typical game of EPO musical chairs which had long been predicted by EPO insiders, Ernst once again succeeded Lutz, this time as EPO Vice-President in charge of Legal and International Affairs (VP5).
Ernst seems to have been "awarded" this position in recognition of his "services" to the Battistelli regime during his time on the Administrative Council.
Ernst took up his position as EPO Vice-President in January 2019 but during most of the year he was rarely seen at the EPO and he seems to have spent most of his time abroad travelling to attend various IP junkets in the Far East in places such as Singapore, South Korea and Japan.
Images from the Christoph Ernst Pacific Rim Tour 2019
epo.org link) taking in Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
A rather bored looking Christoph Ernst attending an IP junket in Greece (September 2019)
Ernst (3rd from left) with Campinos at the Danish Patent & Trademark Office (September 2019)
"Sadly, a likely side-effect of the novel Coronavirus Covid-19 will be a reduction in Mr Ernst's appetite for foreign travel in 2020."After all let's not forget that Topić's application must have passed through the hands of EPO Directorate 5.2.3 which falls under his responsibility as the Vice President of International and Legal Affairs.
Come on Mr Ernst, how about a little bit of transparency and accountability on this one? ⬆