Bonum Certa Men Certa

The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part XIII: Battistelli's Iberian Facilitators - Spain

Series parts:

  1. The EPO's Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part I: Let the Sunshine In!
  2. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part II: A “Unanimous” Endorsement?
  3. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part III: Three Missing Votes
  4. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part IV: The Founding States
  5. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part V: Germany Says “Ja”
  6. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part VI: A Distinct Lack of Dutch Courage
  7. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part VII: Luxembourgish Laxity
  8. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part VIII: Perfidious Albion and Pusillanimous Hibernia
  9. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part IX: More Holes Than Swiss Cheese
  10. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part X: Introducing the Controversial Christian Bock
  11. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part XI: “General Bock” - Battistelli's Swiss Apprentice?
  12. The EPO’s Overseer/Overseen Collusion — Part XII: The French Connection
  13. YOU ARE HERE ☞ Battistelli's Iberian Facilitators - Spain


António Campinos, Christian Archambeau, and Patricia Garcia Escudero Marquez
António Campinos (centre) flanked by Christian Archambeau (left) and Patricia García-Escudero Márquez (right).



Summary: The EPO's António Campinos is an 'Academy' of overt nepotism; what Benoît Battistelli did mostly in France Campinos does in Spain and Portugal, severely harming the international image of these countries

Back in June 2013, the Spanish delegation on the EPO's Administrative Council was headed by Patricia García-Escudero Márquez.



García-Escudero was appointed as Director-General of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) in 2012 after Alberto Casado Cerviño had been "rewarded" with a position as EPO Vice-President. Casado Cerviño was a close ally of Battistelli on the EPO's Administrative Council and he had acted as ad interim Chairman of the Council for the duration of the protracted election procedure which ended in March 2010 with Battistelli's appointment as the President of the Office (effective as of 1 July 2010).

"Casado Cerviño was a close ally of Battistelli on the EPO's Administrative Council and he had acted as ad interim Chairman of the Council for the duration of the protracted election procedure which ended in March 2010 with Battistelli's appointment as the President of the Office (effective as of 1 July 2010)."García-Escudero is known to have close associations with the upper echelons of the notoriously corrupt Spanish conservative party Partido Popular (PP). Her brother, Pío García-Escudero Márquez the 4th Count of Badarán, is a prominent PP member who served as the Speaker of the Spanish Senate between 2011 and 2019.

There is evidence to suggest that García-Escudero's installation as head of the OEPM was a purely political appointment which was tainted by serious formal irregularities.

"There is evidence to suggest that García-Escudero's installation as head of the OEPM was a purely political appointment which was tainted by serious formal irregularities."In any event, during her time on the EPO's Administrative Council García-Escudero was very much a "captured delegate" who always gave unquestioning support to Battistelli. She was generally regarded as one of his most loyal and subservient "pet chinchillas" on the organisation's governing body.

In 2016 García-Escudero was rewarded by Battistelli with a position on the EPO's Boards of Appeal Committee (BOAC). The BOAC is a sub-committee of the EPO's Administrative Council which is responsible for supervising matters relating to the EPO's Boards of Appeal.

Patricia Garcia Escudero Marque
Head of the Spanish delegation in 2013: Patricia García-Escudero Márquez.



During her time as head of the Spanish OEPM García-Escudero was also a significant figure in the affairs of the EU trademark agency OHIM/EUIPO in Alicante.

"In 2016 García-Escudero was rewarded by Battistelli with a position on the EPO's Boards of Appeal Committee (BOAC). The BOAC is a sub-committee of the EPO's Administrative Council which is responsible for supervising matters relating to the EPO's Boards of Appeal."On 1 January 2017, she succeeded the well-connected "IP" maximalist Mihály Ficsor as Chair of EUIPO’s Management Board. This is the governing body of the EU trademark agency which has a function similar to that of the EPO's Administrative Council.

In 2018, García-Escudero was rumoured to be a possible contender to succeed António Campinos as the Chief Executive of EUIPO.

However, in the end she did not throw her hat into the ring and the position went to the Belgian Christian Archambeau. Archambeau was a former Principal Director at the EPO from where he had been seconded to the EUIPO in December 2010. In Alicante he was installed as second-in-command to the new EUIPO boss António Campinos.

"Because García-Escudero was closely linked to the disgraced PP, the installation of the new PSOE-led government signalled the end of her career at the OEPM."García-Escudero's failure to secure the top job in Alicante was probably related to domestic political convulsions which were taking place in Spain at more or less the same time as the EUIPO succession race.

On 1 June 2018, the PP-led government of Mariano Rajoy was toppled by a motion of no confidence. The motion of no confidence was tabled by Pedro Sánchez, the leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), after a court ruling according to which the PP was found to have profited from the illegal kickbacks-for-contracts scheme of the Gürtel case.

"On 25 June 2018, it was announced that the incoming government had appointed José Antonio Gil Celedonio as the new director of the OEPM."After the collapse of the PP-led government, a new PSOE-led government headed by Sanchez was formed on 7 June 2018.

Because García-Escudero was closely linked to the disgraced PP, the installation of the new PSOE-led government signalled the end of her career at the OEPM.

On 25 June 2018, it was announced that the incoming government had appointed José Antonio Gil Celedonio as the new director of the OEPM.

Jose Antonio Gil Celedonio
Following the collapse of the PP-led government of Mariano Rajoy in June 2018, José Antonio Gil Celedonio replaced García-Escudero as director of the OEPM.



But despite being dismissed as head of the OEPM, all was not lost for García-Escudero.

Although she failed to bag the top job at the EUIPO in 2018, she was rewarded with a consolation prize in March 2019 [PDF] when she was appointed as "Director of the Academy".

EU Academy and Patricia Garcia Escudero Marque
After her dismissal from the OEPM in June 2018, García-Escudero found a "safe harbour" at the EUIPO in Alicante.



According to the EUIPO's Web site, the "Academy" is the department of the EU trademark agency which is responsible for all learning and educational activities for EUIPO staff, staff of the national "IP" offices of the EU member states, EUIPO's users, academia and the public at large.

By a curious coincidence, the position of "Director of the Academy" became vacant in January 2019 after the acting Director - Nellie Simon - had left to take up her new position as EPO Vice-President in Munich. (warning: epo.org link)

"...it remains unclear whether the vacancy was filled by means of an open competition or whether García-Escudero was simply parachuted into it by her cronies in the "European IP Network"."It's not clear how exactly García-Escudero managed to get appointed to this position because no vacancy notice can be found. For this reason, it remains unclear whether the vacancy was filled by means of an open competition or whether García-Escudero was simply parachuted into it by her cronies in the "European IP Network".

That concludes our look at the Spanish delegation which helped to rubber-stamp Battistelli's "Strike Regulations" in June 2013.

In the next part we will look at the Portuguese delegation which was headed by Maria Leonor Mendes da Trindade, Director of the Portuguese INPI.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Linux is Already Dominant (Android), Let's Make GNU/Linux Dominant in Desktops/Laptops as Well
"Dr. Stallman recently warned everybody about Microsoft."
 
Say the Truth, the Rest Will Follow
There's no guarantee that writing the truth will result in an audience (or readership), but over time - in the long run - people generally gravitate towards what they know or feel to be crude truth, not just what's comforting (albeit false or self-deluding, usually groupthink dictated from above)
How to Expose High-Level Corruption Without Getting in (Too Much) Trouble
Democracy depends on free press and freedom of the press depends on being able to safely publish (and keep available) material that bad people don't want to be known to anybody
In-Depth EPO Coverage at Techrights Turns Eleven
11 years is a very long time
Windows Measured Below 10% in Afghanistan, GNU/Linux Gaining a Lot
about 80% are Android (Linux) users, compared to only about 10% for Windows
Poland's Political Predicament and Social Control Media
Democracy and fake "tech" don't mix well; the latter tends to interfere with the former and that's why we get more "Putins" out there
EPO: Taking Away From the Staff to Give More to the Rich
The Central Staff Committee (CSC) wrote to EPO staff earlier this week
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, June 03, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, June 03, 2025
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part I: It's a Lot Like the EPO
we can commence a series soon
Gemini Links 04/06/2025: Inescapable Questions and Quitting All "Oligarch Tech"
Links for the day
Slopwatch: Linux FUD From Slopfarms, Blaming Linux for Microsoft Issues; Even WebProNews Has Become a Slopfarm (Googlebombing "Linux" With Slop Images and Fake/Plagiarised Text)
The Web is really getting bad; it's also overwhelmed by fake material or plagiarised material, wherein the plagiarism gets disguised/hidden by LLM sausage factories
Links 03/06/2025: Tiananmen Square Massacre Censorship and Growing Military Activities Around Taiwan
Links for the day
The Loyalty to Microsoft and the Salaries From Microsoft (Funding SLAPPs Against Techrights and Tux Machines)
Garrett always knows better. He knows everything best.
Windows Falls in Italy as GNU/Linux Jumps to 5%
Italy knows a thing or two about digital autonomy
Nigeria is All Android and Google
Windows down to almost nothing in Africa's largest population
Mass Layoffs at Microsoft (Second Wave) Not Limited to Redmond
"More layoffs at Microsoft as axe falls in Washington and California"
Gemini Links 03/06/2025: Forth System and "Common Lisp is a Dumpster"
Links for the day
The Leaks Were Right: Mass Layoffs at Microsoft in May, Then Another Wave in June
Just as we've been saying for over a month
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 02, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, June 02, 2025
Last Article From Australia's Sam Varghese Was a Year Ago and It Covered the Release of Julian Assange, Who Will Apparently Come Back as 'Politician'
It'll soon be exactly 12 months
Hungary Seems Hungry for Linux
Windows down by a lot
Like in Europe, Bad News for Microsoft in US and Canada
If it loses those "regions", then what's left?
About 8 Waves of Mass Layoffs at Microsoft in 2025 (in Less Than 5 Months), Now Vista 11 "Market Share" Decreases
Really bad news for shareholders of Microsoft
statCounter Sees Bing "Share" Falling Over 0.5% in One Month, Now Lower Than Before the ChatGPT/Bing Chat Hype
Bing has been part of the mass layoffs for quite some time
After Microsoft's Bankruptcy in Russia Android (Linux) Will Dominate Asia Completely
Windows probably peaked in "XP" or "2000"
Microsoft's Demise is a Global Phenomenon
mass layoffs justified using mindless buzzwords
All-Time Highs for GNU/Linux in EU and the UK, All-Time Lows for Microsoft
Combining ChromeOS and GNU/Linux, it adds up to and almost reaches 6%
India: Windows Falls to 50% in Desktops/Laptops and 8% Overall
laptops/desktops fell to 16% of the whole
statCounter: GNU/Linux Up to 4.7% "Market Share" This Month
30,000 Microsoft jobs may be eliminated by year's end
Microsoft is in Trouble and Microsofters Know It
"I've been happy on Win 3.11 for years."
[Video] New Introduction to Richard Stallman's Contributions Including GNU Emacs, GNU/Linux, and Software Freedom
from the channel previously bullied for supporting RMS
Links 02/06/2025: South Korea to Vote, Russia Blitzed From Within
Links for the day
Links 02/06/2025: Political Leftovers, DRM, and Patents
Links for the day
Links 02/06/2025: Microsoft Spins Layoffs as "Slop", Frontier Settles Lawsuit
Links for the day
When You Publicly Boast About Wanting to Violently Attack People (Even Colleagues) Finding a Job Will Prove Difficult
there's a lesson to be learned here
The Web We Lost, the Information Lost Due to Microsoft's Attacks on Companies Like Yahoo! (Before the LLM Slop Frenzy)
When it comes to news sites, what can we say?
Covering Corruption in Poland, Including a War on Science (Due to Bad Politicians)
What we're about to show is that skilled and experienced scientists in Poland are besieged by bureaucrats
Gemini Links 02/06/2025: "Star Wars Day" and "Security Day"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, June 01, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, June 01, 2025