12.06.16
Endgame for Battistelli at the European Patent Office (EPO)
Guess Who is Trying to Retroactively ‘Legalise’ His Own Abuses Now…
Summary: Battistelli turns bad into worse by spitting on the very notion of accepting justice (from the highest court in The Hague or even the UN in this case)
THE system in Europe is often assumed to be vastly superior to many of the world’s systems. We used to take pride in the EPO being so much better than the USPTO and, among many things, rejecting software patents. We cannot say this anymore because Battistelli’s role model these days seems to be SIPO in China (where the quality of patents is about as low as it can get, it’s just an assembly line of papers). Battistelli “is boxing out of the corner now,” one reader told us in relation not only to the social issues but also the technical issues (patent maximalism is a disease that keeps spreading to the EPO). Applicants quickly realise that the value of EPs is sinking. Why would they even bother with pricey new applications, let alone renewals? Many of them won't. They’re gradually waking up to the destruction left behind by Battistelli (rushed examination, brain drain, etc.) and the injustices demonstrated by miscarriage of justice not just against clients [sic] but against hundreds if not thousands of EPO employees (approximately/at least a hundred cases in just 2 years, some impacting multiple employees per case).
“Applicants quickly realise that the value of EPs is sinking.”What the EPO does about this "crisis" (in the Board's own words) is the equivalent of shuffling chairs at the deck of the Titanic. Watch what is showing up in today’s news:
The EPO is expected to refuse to record assignments that do not satisfy the foregoing requirements.
Accordingly, we believe that in the future all assignments should be signed by all parties. Regarding the cases where an assignment has been executed but has not been recorded at the EPO, and where the assignment document was only signed by the assignor(s), you may consider obtaining a second signature from a representative of the assignee acknowledging acceptance of the rights. As another alternative, it might be possible for both parties to sign a “confirmatory assignment” to confirm that an assignment that took place on a date prior to the effective date of these new guidelines.
Given the low quality of patents at the EPO (granted in recent years, not the older ones which have not yet expired), putting more barriers and limitations is the last thing that should be on the agenda. Sooner or later, suggest internal figures, the backlog or pile will have dried up, making the Office underworked and rendering thousands of EPO examiners redundant.
Based on the latest decisions from ILO (or ILO-AT), the Office will also have to spend a lot of time and resources on new ‘trials’. This would involve even more people who otherwise should be carrying out their duties as examiners. Look what a sordid mess Battistelli has created. He should resign, but that alone would not solve all the issues.
“Lacking any sense of shame, Battistelli proposes that the Administrative Council, which was supposed to kick him out years ago, should amend the internal law of the EPO relating to not only the Appeals Committee but also lots of other bodies (including the Disciplinary Committees).”Looking at Battistelli’s appalling reaction to these decisions (leaked here yesterday), the lies are beyond amazing. The guy must be crazy and he’s unable to take responsibility. Instead he’s trying to hold unions whom he’s busting accountable. To him, the fact that there was gross injustice for years is the fault of the Central Staff Committee, which was not nominating representatives for the Appeals Committee. Battistelli has publicly (in the Intranet) accused them of “failure to comply with statutory obligations,” in the same way that he defamed various other people or groups in the Intranet as recently as one month ago (we leaked the example about Mr. Prunier).
Lacking any sense of shame, Battistelli proposes that the Administrative Council, which was supposed to kick him out years ago, should amend the internal law of the EPO relating to not only the Appeals Committee but also lots of other bodies (including the Disciplinary Committees). To quote Battistelli, “if the Central Staff Committee, despite an invitation to do so, fails to make appointments to these bodies, the President shall take appropriate steps to ensure and make the necessary appointments, such as calling for volunteers or drawing lots from among eligible staff members.”
“WIPO looks like very small potatoes in comparison to this.”So basically, Battistelli now tries to ‘legalise’ his own abuses after he committed these abuses. How does that not make Eponia a Banana Republic or rogue state way ahead of even Turkey in 2016? The ‘King’ basically places himself above the law, allegedly buys votes, and refuses to accept a simple judgment even from a UN agency (it’s the only tripartite UN agency). WIPO looks like very small potatoes in comparison to this.
To quote (verbatim) what Judgment 3785 actually said on page 6: “While it is true that the fundamental functions of that body must not be paralysed, it is also true that the body itself cannot be changed through a changed composition. The balance sought to be achieved by the composition of this body, which includes members appointed by the Administration and the staff representation, is a fundamental guarantee of its impartiality. That balanced composition is an essential feature underpinning its existence. Without it, it is not the Appeals Committee.” █
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