01.26.16
The EPO Goes Lobbying Even More Heavily in Brussels, Reveals New Job Advertisement
Executing large corporations' (not even European) wills and whims in Brussels
Summary: The immunity-waving European Patent Office (which is unwilling to waive its right to remain untouchable) is meddling and interfering with European politics, in the interest of monies/entities that are against Europe’s
Lots of political stuff is going on at The Hague (Netherlands), in France and in the UK at the moment, regarding the EPO’s abuses. Is Battistelli in trouble? Political actions may not be effective when the EPO enjoys effective immunity. The political system can barely touch the EPO, but the EPO sure is touching the political system and actively lobbies, e.g. for UPC.
According to a source of ours, “this just came in. It is an internal job posting.
“The Sovereign Republic of Eponia is looking for a plenipotentiary delegate for its Brussels colony, whose task is to pursue Her interests and implement Her policies…
“Can they possibly find that rare person combining all the desired qualities at the EPO in the next fortnight? Perhaps in the entourage of the Sun-King…
“I didn’t know that the EPO or EPOrg had political views, or was allowed to have her own. Who formulates these? The President? The AC? DG5? The Member states overseeing the AC? But if the same member states also sit at the EU, are they then lobbying themselves?
“I wondered what kind of work the Brussels delegate is doing, and found this dating back from 2012 [PDF].
The original file is unusable, and text can neither be searched nor copied. It’s apparently not copy protection-inflicted, just brain-damaged software, so we are hereby including an OCR version [PDF].
“The following panel from the schedule gives an idea of what the Brussels EPO bureau chief is involved in,” our source told us. “I have no idea what Mr. Gal might have said at this occasion.”
10h45 Enforcement measures for intellectual property rights – what is fair and proportionate?
Moderator: Claude COSTECHAREYRE,
1. Is copyright enforcement obstinate or obsolete?
Subtitle: Some concepts: global licence, graduated response, abuses, damages, injunctive measures, sanctions, technological protection measures, commercial scale
[...]
2. More than copyright: patents on medicines, software, trademarks, border measures – what should change?
- Javier De la Cueva, Lawyer, Madrid
- Jean-Luc Gal, Head of Brussels Bureau, European Patent Office
Was the EPO batting — like hired guns (lobbyists) — for Hollywood and Mickey Mouse? It’s hard to tell, but it’s inappropriate for the EPO to be involved in this way. It is currently lobbying regarding the UPC.
Here is what the EPO now wants in Brussels:
Vacancy notice
Head of Brussels Bureau (5.0.2) (3 years, extendable)
Status: Open Category: Temporary
Area: DG 5 – 5.0.2
Job group: Job group 4
Career path: Managerial
Place of employment: Brussels
Code: TRF/5941
Publication date: 18.01.2016
Closing date: 01.02.2016
Contact: Anne Arca-van AlmsickPermanent and contract employees wishing to be considered for this vacancy are invited to apply online.
It is intended to fill this vacancy by transfer under Article 4(1), first and second indents, and Circular 289.
Please note that only permanent and contract employees in the same job group as the advertised vacancy are eligible to apply.
It is the mission of the EPO’s Brussels Bureau to co-ordinate and enhance relations between the EPO and the European institutions, in support of the EPO’s overall mission and core business and in order to strengthen European stakeholders’ understanding of the EPO’s role as one of the world’s leading patent granting authorities.
Under his supervision, the Vice-President DG5 is now looking for a Head of the Brussels Bureau accountable for developing relationships with key players at the European institutions such as the European Parliament, the EU Commission and the EU Council of Ministers and its working groups and delegations and European stakeholders from business and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and – equally importantly – serving as the EPO’s eyes and ears in Brussels.
Main duties
• Conveying the EPO’s intellectual-property views and interests to opinion leaders, including representatives of the EU institutions such as the European Parliament, the EU Commission and the EU Council of Ministers and its working groups and delegations
• Maintaining and enhancing the EPO’s network of contacts with European stakeholders from business and relevant NGOs
• Producing studies, analyses and proposals for the EPO’s position concerning the European institutions’ activities which affect the European Patent Organisation
• Liaising with other EPO departments in their dealings with the European institutions
• Making the EPO’s political views known to opinion leaders
• Maintaining day-to-day contacts with the network
• Taking part in and reporting on meetings (formal and informal), conferences and other EU events
• Briefing EPO headquarters on developments likely to affect the work of the Organisation
• Reporting and advising on European policy and political initiatives affecting the EPO
• Preparing conferences and other events in co-operation with other EPO departments
• Interacting with the different EPO directorates-general
• Managing and reviewing – as line manager and reporting officer – the performance of the individual staff member and the overall performance of the team according to the team objectives and individual objectives of team members as well as priorities set
• Communicating management’s operational directions and priorities to the team
• Guiding and supporting the professional and personal development of the individual team members
The ideal candidate should have:
Excellent practical knowledge of the structure and political functions of major European organisations, e.g. the Eu
• Years of proven advocacy experience in Brussels
• Experience in people management
• Excellent team-working and interpersonal skills
• Experience in change management and organisational development
• Ability to work autonomously
• An existing, reliable and workable network of contacts
• Good political knowledge of patent issues and the EPO
• Highly developed communication skills (also with the press) and the ability to represent the EPO effectively at various levels
• Ability to get complex issues across clearly and comprehensibly
• Highly developed ability to react and report quickly
Process and timeline
The successful candidate will be selected on the basis of qualifications and relevant experience, supplemented as appropriate by interviews and/or tests.
It is intended to hold the interviews on 01 March 2016 in Munich.
The successful candidate will be appointed for an initial period of 3 years, which may then be extended by further fixed periods. The appointment will be subject to a probationary period of six months.
Since this was an internal posting, maybe they already know who will get this position/job. Maybe it was ‘custom-made’ for that person (recall the Bergot scandal [1, 2, 3, 4]). █
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