Bonum Certa Men Certa

EPO: A Lawless Institution That Makes Its Staff Look Bad

Courts all around the world -- bar China -- are rejecting abstract patents on mathematics; why are examiners being punished for doing the same?

I came to fix the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) after a bunch of crooked judges decided to approve patents on mathematics
Let's hope she becomes a Justice at the highest American court one day



Summary: The EPO is promoting patents on mathematics and associates with -- sometimes promotes -- people who openly call for patents on mathematics

ONE thing that the EPO and USPTO have in common is their overzealous love of software patents, no matter if courts 'loathe' these (it's not about emotion or about hate; that's just simply the law -- something that neither António Campinos nor Benoît Battistelli would like to obey).



"It's nice to be able to understand history and know a lot of languages (polyglots can find more prior art), but without basic understanding of the underlying concepts patents will be wrongly granted, based on complete misunderstandings if not guesswork."These 'gentle' dictators don't seem to understand that patent systems should be measured in terms like justice or science, not money. There will still be science without money, especially money that's extracted by aggression (legal action/litigation). We'd like to take a moment to cordially remind examiners that they're scientists and if they work for a patent office they must always remember that their employer is supposed to advance science; it's not about enriching some law firms. If it is, it might be time to reconsider one's job; a career in a patent office is supposed to be about science. This is why patent offices have traditionally recruited highly-educated people with degrees in science and engineering, not people with a degree in history or some language/s. It's nice to be able to understand history and know a lot of languages (polyglots can find more prior art), but without basic understanding of the underlying concepts patents will be wrongly granted, based on complete misunderstandings if not guesswork. SUEPO and staff representatives have already warned that under Campinos many EPO examiners are being assigned to deal with applications in domains well outside their 'ballpark'. It's a recipe for disaster unless the sole goal is granting as many patents as possible, including ones that ought not be granted (rejected outright!). In the USPTO, for example, the so-called 'economist' recently bragged about compelling examiners to ignore or improperly apply 35 U.S.C. €§ 101. What a nerve these people have, forcing workers with scientific integrity to grant unlawful patents which courts would most likely veto. The general message is, "break the law to keep your job!"

"Deep inside, however, these people are motivated to keep their job and pay the mortgage."The EPO is no enemy of ours. The EPO's management, however, clearly dislikes us. After almost 2 years at the Office Campinos still blocks Techrights on 'behalf' of thousands of employees; contrariwise, whoever runs the EPO's Twitter account not only refuses to block me! They follow me! They read my tweets. One might wonder if these people too haven't really swallowed the lies of the EPO's management. Deep inside, however, these people are motivated to keep their job and pay the mortgage.

EPO follows
Maybe deep inside the people who field this account (lying for a salary) know we're actually on their side



In any event, yesterday the EPO tweeted some more nonsense that's covert promotion of software patents.

To quote:



Digital communication & computer technology are enabling the #4IR by providing the tools for turning technical applications into smart devices. We've put together some interesting patenting trends in these fields: https://bit.ly/DigitalisationIndex … pic.twitter.com/MKPriH16nM


It isn't too hard to decipher this.

Tossing in fictional buzzwords ("4IR") as hashtags to promote illegal patents that the Office illegally grants to fake "Annual Results"? And then gamble with the money, defrauding Europe and EPO workers (including those who field this Twitter account)?

"Insiders compare the management to "Mafia" while bemoaning a culture of overt corruption, including nepotism, not to mention intimidation against truth-tellers and law-abiding staff."We desperately need the old EPO back; EPO workers need that too. Insiders compare the management to "Mafia" while bemoaning a culture of overt corruption, including nepotism, not to mention intimidation against truth-tellers and law-abiding staff.

The EPO has also just tweeted this thing about supposed learning. Notice the link. The very top entry in this page is shameless promotion of illicit patents on algorithms (under the guise of "Games" or "Videogames").

Last week the EPO's Twitter account tweeted promotion of a patent radical from the US, who founded a site called "IP Watchdog" (we don't call it that because it's a misnomer). Just look at the deluded nonsense that site wrote yesterday (and yesterday alone). Over at Watchtroll Paul Michel has just called himself "Judge Paul Michel" even though he's no longer a judge; he's pushing/lobbying the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) to allow software patents ("Flaws in the Supreme Court’s €§101 Precedent and Available Ways to Correct Them"). He used to be a judge at the Federal Circuit and now that he's "retired" (lobbyist) he constantly promotes particular legislation, ruining the perception that judges are objective and uninvolved in politics. Maybe Judge Sharon Prost (actually a judge, still) should tell him to keep his big mouth shut; he makes her court look bad. This is a form of corruption and one might wonder if Michel pockets money 'on the side' for this sort of lobbying. His successor Rader was caught in a corruption scandal and was forced to resign. Later on SCOTUS overturned just about every single decision handed down by Rader.

"Later on SCOTUS overturned just about every single decision handed down by Rader."Now look on at yesterday's output from Watchtroll. It's truly insane. It's deluded. "The Long Reach of the Mathematics Patentability Exception is Overbroad and Absurd" is the headline; Jose Nunez now openly promotes patents on mathematics. Yes, let's have monopolies over laws of nature! The summary says: "The mathematics exception for subject matter eligibility is overbroad because it was improperly justified under the premise that mathematics is like a law of nature. This is absurd because mathematics is everywhere, and excepting mathematics means excepting virtually everything."

Oh. My. God!

"What have we sunk to? And why does today's EPO associate with such madness?"These people acknowledge that things like algorithms are in fact mathematics and now they openly and shamelessly pushing for patent monopolies on maths!!!

"Oh... sorry my dear, you cannot use that equation, it is patented!"

What have we sunk to? And why does today's EPO associate with such madness?

Recent Techrights' Posts

Libya's Share on the Web: 5.2% GNU/Linux
GNU/Linux has hit an all-time high there
Codecs and Software Patents - Part VI - The European Patent Office, Nokia, Microsoft, Sisvel, and More
Whatever Nokia used to be, it's certainly not an ally and a lot of the turmoil at the EPO is the fault of companies like Nokia
 
Links 11/05/2026: Another Oracle Setback and Mass Layoffs in Iran
Links for the day
Gemini Links 11/05/2026: Older Can Be Faster and Textmode Workflow
Links for the day
Links 11/05/2026: The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Admits It Only Reacts When It's Too Late (Damage Already Done), Ombudsman’s Animal Cruelty HK Report
Links for the day
If It Takes You a Second to Serve (or Receive) a Page, That's Definitely Too Slow
For speeds at milliseconds (e.g. for pages to fully load in a tenth of a second) the pages must be ready to be sent as soon as they're requested
It's Not About Speed, It is About Patience and Adherence to Truth, Principles, Scientific Integrity
attacks on us only ever made us stronger - a lesson that our adversaries have learned the hard way
Cyber Show Does it Like Techrights: Static and Gemini Protocol as 'First-Class Citizen'
HTML and GemText (over Gemini Protocol) would be rendered in tandem
SLAPP Censorship - Part 73 Out of 200: Microsoft's Graveley and Garrett Remain Closely Connected in May 2026 ("Tag-Teaming" Against Bloggers in Another Continent)
The phrase "judge a person by their friends" seems applicable here
Discussions About When the Axe Falls at IBM/Kyndryl (11,000 Layoffs Estimated)
"Kyndryl restructuring should reduce overhead functions and reduce the number of managers that lack technical knowledge"
A World After Microsoft (and GAFAM) and After GitHub Shuts Down
the only growth area is debt
Fake News, Propaganda, and Misinformation: Microsoft Investing Money It Does Not Have in "Hey Hi" (for "Entertainment Purposes" Only)
This will not end well
Today the Whole European Patent Office (EPO) is on Strike and Next Monday an Even Bigger Strike
the media refuses to cover these and is thus complicit
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part IXX - EPO Management Speaks of Reputation and Integrity While Putting Cocaine Addicts in Management
If the EPO values its "reputation", then it needs to start by ousting the management
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, May 10, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, May 10, 2026
Links 11/05/2026: Security Breaches, Politics, and Energy Crunch
Links for the day
Gemini Links 10/05/2026: "Accidental Cameras" and "Addictive" Interfaces in Social Control Media
Links for the day
Codecs and Software Patents - Part V - A Reminder That GAFAM and the European Patent Office (Which Serves American Monopolists) Do Considerable Harm to the Commons and Culture
some 'breaking' developments
Gemini Links 10/05/2026: Inkscape, Guix, and Alhena 5.5.8
Links for the day
The "Alicante Mafia" at the European Patent Office (EPO) Experiments With New Methods for Crushing Industrial Actions
Open letter to VP1 and the COO [...] What does this tell us about the status quo at the European Patent Office, Europe's second-largest institution?
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part XVIII - "The European Patent Office (EPO) has a zero-tolerance policy for fraud" (except when managers do it)
The guidebook of the EPO says fraud is not to be tolerated, but who enforces or revisits such "Red Lines"?
Links 10/05/2026: Hantavirus Brings Back 'Contact Tracing' Surveillance, "Staple Food Prices Soar in Iran"
Links for the day
Microsoft XBox Staff Know They're in Trouble, They Try to Unionise Ahead of Mass Layoffs
As the slang goes, it's going to be a "bloodbath"
Links 10/05/2026: Fake Suicide Notes and New EU Restrictions on Slop
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 72 Out of 200: Microsoft's Graveley and Garrett Signed Documents That Hold Them Accountable to Truth and Liable for Lies
Such collaborations are unsavoury and apparently unprofessional, too
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, May 09, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, May 09, 2026
Gemini Links 10/05/2026: Travelling to Van and "Dark Mode" as Passing Fad
Links for the day
IBM's Kyndryl Holdings Inc Sank 70-75% in 'Value' in 10 Months, Will IBM Follow?
Kyndryl Holdings Inc now has a debt considerably higher than this company is said to be 'worth'!
Belated Sovereignty: GNU/Linux in Iran Skyrockets to 6% Amid Armed Conflict
unless they're truly in control of their networks, hardware and software, somebody else can control them
Gemini Links 09/05/2026: Liberation, The Nocturnals, Rediscovering Internet Radio, and More
Links for the day
Links 09/05/2026: Kremlin’s Biggest Day of the Year and FBI's Attack on the Media (to Save Face)
Links for the day
Google is "Bullshit"
Fix your slop, Google. It's broken.
SLAPP Censorship - Part 71 Out of 200: 5RB Barristers Made Tens of Thousands of Pounds by Changing From Plural to Singular for Microsoft's Graveley and Garrett
Could not even get the client's name right
Links 09/05/2026: "Grand Theft Oil Futures" and Mass Layoffs at Verizon
Links for the day
Gemini Links 09/05/2026: Inkscape "Copy Text Style" and NomadNet
Links for the day
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part XVII - European Patent Office (EPO) Management Not Sharing Responsibility for Financial Resources
For those who wonder, EPO strikes are still going on
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, May 08, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, May 08, 2026