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03.02.16

Team Battistelli Uses FFPE to Give an Illusion of EPO Peace With ‘Unions’ and Justify/Support a Now-Famous Lie

Posted in Deception, Europe, Patents at 3:23 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

FFPE represents EPO workers like Daniel Domscheit-Berg (OpenLeaks) represents Wikileaks

Daniel Domscheit-Berg
Photo credit: Andreas Gaufer, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Summary: The European Patent Office’s current management, which may soon get dismissed, is putting together a little show that gives the impression of peace with trade unions

HILARIOUS or outrageous it may be, depending on one’s mood. The latest publicity stunt from Team Battistelli (not the same as the EPO, which they merely exploit for their own agenda of power and money) is like something out of the propaganda books. Battistelli and his circle smile in their suits next to a bunch of what Soviets would call “useful idiots”; this isn’t ‘the’ union but a tiny group which claims to be one. FFPE is the Daniel Domscheit-Berg of the EPO’s staff. Only under intense pressure from colleagues it expressed solidarity with SUEPO, but those who look closely enough will see how Battistelli et al view and exploit FFPE [2, 2]. FFPE members cannot claim to be passive participants; they know too well how their complicity in this PR stunt would be used against SUEPO and by extension against EPO staff as a whole.

“FFPE members cannot claim to be passive participants; they know too well how their complicity in this PR stunt would be used against SUEPO and by extension against EPO staff as a whole.”Team Battistelli now truly leaves a misleading mess, ensuring that no external observer like a journalist can make sense of things. Battistelli is just trying to mislead media about unions, pretending there is peace. Tomorrow he will try "results", exploiting lack of critical skills and an inability to properly scrutinise the claims. What gives? How much is Battistelli willing to lie to the world in his desperate effort to save his job?

Pathetic. Truly pathetic. More so than Battistelli calling people whom he views as opposition "Nazis". One thing is clear now. Team Battistelli won’t give up with a fight (a dirty fight) that includes lying to journalists, lying to staff, fake letters of ‘support’ etc. Evil all the way. “As for the author of the pathetic letter in support of the President and his management style,” said one comment earlier today, “the information you received from your source is highly likely to be correct because the named PD was indeed assistant of Mr Minnoye prior to her appointment as PD (a well calculated step) and she is a typical product of the BB’s regime, always aligned with those in power. You know the classical kind of person: “lêche….”. This kind of person would do anything in order to please the boss.”

“Team Battistelli won’t give up with a fight (a dirty fight) that includes lying to journalists, lying to staff, fake letters of ‘support’ etc.”It’s not surprising that some people out there, especially people whom the EPO is now willing to recruit and also promote, play ball for the tyrants. They’re being groomed as a reward for their docility. “That IS hilarious,” wrote to us one person [1, 2]. “It’s so fake they even didn’t photoshop some union faces in that picture. As there should be in such “deals” [...] If you groom people for being leeches and backstabbers at your service, what do you think they’d do for you once you need them?”

“You can even see the strings,” another person remarked about the photo. For those willing to take the risk of clicking an epo.org link, here it is. The totally Orwellian nonsense contained just one tiny photo (11 people in full body size with just 264 pixels across, 172 top to bottom). Well, the photo is so tiny that I can hardly even recognise a handful, and those whom I can recognise I already know too well not to recognise even with just 10-20 RGB pixels making up their faces.

“FFPE has about 4 people in it…”
      –AnonymousThis is what’s known as “Photo op”, which Wikipedia defines as “short for photograph opportunity (photo opportunity), is an arranged opportunity to take a photograph of a politician, a celebrity, or a notable event.”

Wikipedia correctly notes that this “term has acquired a negative connotation, referring to a carefully planned pseudo-event, often masqueraded as news. It is associated with politicians who perform tasks such as planting trees, picking up litter, and visiting senior citizens, often during election cycles, with the intent of photographers catching the events on film, generating positive publicity.”

One reader asked us earlier today: “Have you seen the EPO homepage???”

People are starting to notice, no doubt…

“FFPE has about 4 people in it,” told us this reader. “FFPE only exists in The Hague.”

“The longer Team Battistelli stays, the worse things will get for everyone, jeopardising everybody’s jobs.”Well, we heard estimates of ~20 members at most, but they don’t want to say (despite queries), so it’s quite likely less. They’re close enough to the Battistelli-led circle that they hang out with Bergot, based on comments we saw. It’s called ‘controlled opposition’ in some circles. The “good boy”, i.e. FFPE, unlike the naughty boy (SUEPO) is how it works. Classic!

How can anyone not see what Battistelli is hoping to achieve here? Propaganda galore.

Rebuttal to the latest Team Battistelli lies (regarding results) will be published here tomorrow. Team Battistelli is quickly burning any remnant of reputation that the EPO ever earned. They hate the EPO so much — unlike SUEPO (loving enough and caring to suggest improvements) — that they lie to everyone and think that this will somehow stick. The longer Team Battistelli stays, the worse things will get for everyone, jeopardising everybody’s jobs. The sooner Battistelli and his goons leave, the quicker the EPO will get back on its feet and restabilise. The EPO cannot coexist with Europe (or the EU) when it not only has a conflict with public interests but also with its own workers’ interests and European law. █

German Television to Cover the EPO Scandals at 9 PM (CET) Tonight — Half an Hour From Now (Updated)

Posted in Europe, Patents at 2:24 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

German Media Redux: The last thing the top-level management wants is transparency inside the European Patent Office, especially after relative calm in German media [1, 2]

BR on EPO

Summary: There is finally quite a lot of German media coverage (radio, television, newspapers) about the truth inside the European Patent Office

TECHRIGHTS still has some work in progress when it comes to German media (more on that in the future). There’s also hope that someone will translate “Verwaltungsrat gegen Amtspräsident” for us. It’s getting a little out of date, but it turns out that it reached far and wide. “A new article by Thomas Magenheim-Hörmann was published on 29 February,” one reader told us yesterday. “The article appeared in the Münchner Merkur and various regional daily newspapers such as the Oberbayrisches Volksblatt.”

“V channels and newspapers may soon cover the EPO affairs a lot more than before, based on what we know and have heard.”German translations aren’t the main priority, however, nor is the pressure for German media to actually cover the developments at the EPO. TV channels and newspapers may soon cover the EPO affairs a lot more than before, based on what we know and have heard. Soon we will also have some videos to share.

Later tonight there will be a program on German television and now comes this preparatory article.

A lot of people are writing to us about it today (and even yesterday). “BR TV “Kontrovers”at 2100 tonight, German local time,” one person reminded us. Some people already sent some explanations and translations.

“Some people already sent some explanations and translations.”Regarding “Bavarian TV report tonight,” one reader told us, “in case you hadn’t already been made aware, there’s a documentary about the EPO on mainstream TV tonight (Bayerisches Fernsehen – it doesn’t get more mainstream than that). The programme will air tonight at 9pm local time.”

“Here’s the teaser. And here’s a translation of the teaser,” the reader added with the following preceding remark (we used a screenshot for fair use):

(not sure of the copyright on the photo. the credit is given as Photo: picture-alliance/dpa/Andreas Gebert on the BR website.)

When a dream job becomes a nightmare

A job at the European Patent Office is supposed to be highly lucrative; the pay is generous, and with minimal deductions. And yet, for some employees, the glass palace on the banks of the Isar is a golden cage. Kontrovers [documentary programme] takes a look behind the facade.

EPA in München | Bild: picture-alliance/dpa/Andreas Gebert

The European Patent Office exists to protect the rights of inventors. But many people are critical of its lack of protection for the rights of its own employees. Those responsible at the European Patent Office do not feel bound by fundamental principles of German employment law, such as the special status of employee representatives, pointing instead to its status a supranational organisation, above the German state. Is this really legitimate?

“For information,” added another reader, “German media reports about the EPO” are on their way, including the above from Bayrischer Rundfunk (BR). “This evening,” added this reader, “(2 March 2016 at 21:00 Central European Time) the Bavarian broadcaster Bayrischer Rundfunk will report in detail on the situation at the EPO in the current affairs program “BR Kontrovers”.”

“The program will hopefully be viewable online at the following link after transmission.”

“Some people already sent some explanations and translations.”TV programs in Dutch sure shifted/changed public opinion (we see this online). If Germany, where the population in considerably larger (bigger by more than an order of magnitude), the same thing can happen, there will be no turning back for Team Battistelli. Germany has a very strong position in EU political circles.

“A report was also broadcast today on Bavarian Radio,” our reader added, confirming what we later found out from Florian Müller (already mentioned this morning). “The text at the following link corresponds to the content of the audio broadcast” (we should note that this link is currently broken, so if anyone can find a working link, please let us know).

“A short 3 minute video clip from Bayrischer Rundfunk can be seen here,” added this reader (no point ripping it for local hosting if the full program will soon be made available even on television). “The video can be downloaded from this link,” our reader added, just in case someone wishes to keep a local copy for future reference. We will try to make sense of it all after the broadcasting. We’ll appreciate readers’ help with this. █

Update (21:51, same day): The TV program about the EPO (from less than two hours ago) is now online at this page. The EPO stuff starts at 11:56 (nearly 12 minutes from the start).

EPO at Boiling Point: Why Battistelli is Believed to be Paid About $2,000,000 Per Year and Who Created and Circulated a Letter in His Support

Posted in Europe, Patents, Rumour at 6:54 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

The EPO scandals keep piling up

Golden parachute with money
Reference: Golden parachute, defined as “an agreement between a company and an employee (usually upper executive) specifying that the employee will receive certain significant benefits if employment is terminated.” (like Microsoft’s Elop inside Nokia)
Photo credit: Money Crashers

Summary: More details (not just rumours) surface in the ongoing aftermath of the Battistelli regime, which is fighting to keep itself together

“Wow,” wrote Florian Müller this morning, “tonight (9 PM) even Bavarian state-owned TV will report on the EPO crisis.” He also said that “Bavarian state-owned radio (B5) just reporting on EPO labor dispute.”

We received several E-mails about it this morning (at least 3), as it has a profound impact on the legal community, not just EPO staff. We mentioned some of this before (prior E-mails we received about it) and today is an important day because German media coverage is starting to become a reality. It’s even on television and there are detailed programs on it, not just brief reports. To be frank, I am still pressuring some German publications behind the scenes, in order for them to do proper coverage of recent events; not sure if this will have an effect or not, but gradually we escalate the severity/tone and it appears to be working. We will say more about it in our next post.

“It’s even on television and there are detailed programs on it, not just brief reports.”Regarding Battistelli´s salary, told us one source, “I´ve said a long time ago that it´s supposed to be those 250-300k according to the scale (he acknowledged around 250k but I guess it´s a bit higher). The important part of his remuneration is the bonus, which was rumoured to be around 1.4-1.5 million. Together it would amount to the 1.8 million which multiplied by ten would give his alleged claim of 18 million for retiring.”

This is still the subject of an ongoing investigation here; we have a lot of data from many sources and we assure readers that once it becomes a confirmed fact (or leak) it’ll be a big scandal. Regarding the support letter (in support of Battistelli), our source told us: “Most of the directors refused to sign it. It was drafted by PD Roberta Romano-Goetsch at the instigation of VP Minnoye. I guess she couldn´t say no, having just been promoted. I hope it will surface one of these days.” █

UPC Anything But a Certainty With Battistelli on His Way Out, But Patent Lawyers Are Still in Denial

Posted in Europe, Patents at 6:30 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

And they compare secret (dark room) dealings to sunlight?

UPC

Summary: A look at some of the self-serving patent class and how it has covered the Unitary Patent Court (UPC) as of late

THE EPO is about to pretend that all is rosy at the EPO. That’s a lie. Then we have EPO-backed legislative laundering, notably the UPC, which many high-profile figures insist is a back door to software patents in Europe. Annsley “AmeriKat” Ward, who promoted software patents and the UPC for quite some time (several years), is leaving IP Kat for a UPC booster (a law firm which even sort of renamed itself for UPC ‘business’). Other sites of patent lawyers currently promote the UPC, which would completely mess up Europe’s economy — for lawyers’ gain of course (they would be the one to pocket the money from feuds). When will patent maximalists — some of whom are paid by Battistelli — finally realise that the king is dead (as the saying goes) and thus stop this whole UPC charade/PR? The whole ‘preparation’ of it is a sham that one might expect from a third-world country or a Banana Republic. There are no proper committees with a wide spectrum of stakeholders; usually it happens behind closed doors and it boils down to a conspiracy of lawyers scheming to make themselves richer. They’re stealing democracy. This must end, but first — as was the case with ACTA, TPP, TTIP and so on — the public needs to know that this is happening (currently it is being kept in the dark, all while this Trojan horse is being wheeled in).

“This must end, but first — as was the case with ACTA, TPP, TTIP and so on — the public needs to know that this is happening (currently it is being kept in the dark, all while this Trojan horse is being wheeled in).”We were all once told that patent offices are in the job/task (or ‘business’) of granting patents, and only after thorough examination; now inside the EPO we see lobbying, mental torture, and networks of nepotism which extend to UPC. Here is the EPO lobbying for the UPC again (despite the backlack), essentially promoting an antidemocratic (‘theft’ of democracy) process. Shame on the EPO. They link to this promotional UPC piece that’s so optimistic — enough to pretend that UPC is inevitable (in spite of Spanish opposition, Brexit and so on). “The Unitary Patent,” it says, “a unified patent system applicable across the European Union – has been in development since 2012 and will soon be lifting off” (no, not really, especially if Battistelli is on his way out, paving the way to another kind of reform). █

Brace Yourselves for Self-Fulfilling Prophecies: Tomorrow the European Patent Office Will Spread Propaganda Based on Half Truths and Misdirection

Posted in Deception, Europe, Patents at 6:09 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

EPO results

Summary: Having broadened the scope of patents and changed the definition of what constitutes patent application etc. the EPO is now ‘cooking the books’, as the saying goes, and will soon attempt to claim positive change while the Office is actually collapsing due to poor and famously abusive management

THE EPO truly deserves flack for a lot of reasons. One of them is that the EPO made it a lot easier to get granted patents in all sorts of domains (even software), essentially by broadening scope, limiting examination (self-imposed speedup), ultimately inheriting or mimicking the worst aspects of the USPTO. Watch this new tweet from the EPO. They’re about to bring out propaganda tomorrow.

“They’re about to bring out propaganda tomorrow.”To give another example, one which is only a couple of hours old, suddenly the EPO pretends to respect and obey the EPC. In reality, however, it obeys neither the EPC (as such) nor European law. Expect none of this to be mentioned in tomorrow’s ‘report’.

Another new article, this one from Ante Wessels (FFII), says that “EU commission goes into denial mode regarding effect ISDS on software patents” and states: “Companies could use investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in trade agreements to challenge refusals to grant software patents, FFII’s Benjamin Henrion argued during the 24 February 2016 TTIP stakeholder’s presentations. Successful challenges could undermine the European Patent Convention’s exclusion of software, the recent US Supreme Court’s limits on patentability, and Congressional patent reform.”

“Therein exists a serious issue which we addressed many times before. German courts, in spite of the EPC, often let software patents be, even some of Microsoft’s (when used against Linux).”We already mentioned, at least in passing, the dismissive attitude towards these concerns. Also new is Bastian Best, a German patent lawyer, saying this morning that “In Germany, math applied for a technical purpose IS patentable,” citing his latest article which says: “While the impact of Alice on US software patents is still heavily discussed, 2016 has so far not produced any revolutionary software-related decisions by the Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) or the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH). The German Federal Patent Court (BPatG), however, has been quite busy.”

Therein exists a serious issue which we addressed many times before. German courts, in spite of the EPC, often let software patents be, even some of Microsoft’s (when used against Linux). As one response put it this morning: “Technical purpose, eh? Sounds familiar. This crap harms our economy and freedom.”

Whatever the EPO’s PR team says tomorrow, many questions need to be fired back. █

Confirmado por los Medios Holandadeses (Telegraaf): Benoît Battistelli Hace Irracionales Demandas de Compensación

Posted in Europe, Patents at 5:27 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

English/Original

Publicado en Europe, Patentes at 7:04 am por el Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Article del Telegraaf
Article del Telegraaf

Sumario: Basado en un artículo publicado la tarde del Viernes, Battistelli esta esperando conseguir un salario presidencial por varias décadas venideras, incluso aún que el estara fuera de cargo, lo que convierte imperativo toda clase de preguntas

POCO a poco mucho de los ¨rumores¨ que hemos escuchado y enterado resultan ser realidad. Uno de tales ¨rumores¨ estuvo rodando en lo que más tarde llamamos ¨rumor reinforzado¨ porque el abogado de la SUEPO lo dijo a los medios Holandeses y ahora esta en los titulares de aquellos medios incluso sin signos interrogatorios.

Battistelli debe esta viviendo en un sueño; basado en su salario (el que pensamos saber ahora y que es exorbitántemente menos de lo asumido), él desea recibir un salario presidencial hasta que tenga cien años de edad (si la compensación tenga que ser dada en partes anuales, como los pagos de Brimelow). El es el que debería estar compensando a la OEP por el daño que le hizo después de cuatro décadas esforzándoce en construir su reputación (los perjuicios deben ser valuados en billones de euros).

Corregida humanamente (por Petra Kramer) la traducción de máquina del nuevo artículo (“Franse despoot wil 18 miljoen bij vertrek”, published 18:36 CET el Viernes) puede ser encontrada abajo, con unas pedazitos resaltados en amarillo:

DÉSPOTA Francés quiere 18 millones para su departura

por Marieke van Essen

THE HAGUE – El controversial Presidente Frances del la Oficina Europea de Patentes (OEP), Benoît Battistelli, “demanda 18 millones, o diez años de salario por su departura.” De acuerdo a fuentes dentro de la organización internacional, que tiene una oficina en Rijswijk entre otros lugares.

Battistelli esta bajo fuego por algún tiempo por su reinado de terror de acuerdo a la unión. El ha deteriorado las condiciones de trabajo y sugerido severas represalias contra representantes de la unión que se atrevieron a criticar sus políticas. En Rijswijk dos representantes estan en casa enfermos despues de haber sufrido ¨investigaciones intimidantes a su integridad¨. Los últimos tres años amentablemente han habido cinco suicidios en al OEP.

Mientras tanto, no sólo los empleados están quejando, pero por primera ves los Mienbros Estados (38 países) se volvieron en contra de este Frances que tomo cargo el 2010. Es evidente por la carta de Jesper Kongstad, el Presidente Danes del Consejo Admnistrativo,, suerte de jurado supervisor en el cual los 38 países participantes están representados.

Kongstad cuya carta está en posesión de el Telegraaf, solicita a Battistelli investigar cualquier medida disciplinaria contra miembros de la unión por un comité externo. ¨Desafortunadamente no podemos continuar una seria conversación con el presidente,¨ escribe Kongstad.

El personal de la OEP que esta en contacto con el mundo exterior a través de correo electrónicos secretos, y números telefónicos consiguieron decir que los días de Battistelli están contados. ¨La posibilidad de que nos dejará es grandísima. Veinte países están en contra de ello,¨ dijo uno. ¨Ya ha sido llamado el hombre de los 18 millones,¨ dijo otro. ¨Es una dictadura verdadera. Ya tenemos varios jefes adjunots que proviened del servicio secreto Frances o de los militares. Ya parece rídiculo. Estos tipos son pagados más de 15 mil dólares por mes y hacen todo lo que los grandes jefes les piden.¨

En Marzo 16 los delegados de los 38 países participantes oficialmente votarán el las propuestas de Kongstad. Battistlli ahora cabildea con los estados miembros para conseguir que abandonen la investigación independiente. De acuerdo al presidente, la OEP esta más ´saludable´ que nunca.´

Esto sirve para comprobar lo mucho que hemos escrito hasta ahora, pero la parte acerca del salario de Pinocho Battistelli dudamos que su salari haya sido subido hasta casi 2 millones de euros (anuales)l. Su salario sera materia de un post futuro porque requiere mayor verificación. Otra posibilidad es que el número (18 millones) no sea correcto y que sea actualmente 10 años de salario basado en una extrapolación de una figura menor (salario). Hemos estado recibiendo reportes contradictorios acerca del número exacto, pero es posible que 10 años de salario es en lo que Battistelli este insistiéndo. De cualquier manera, este sigilo acerca de su salario es inaceptable de parte de Battistelli, (su precesor reveló el suyo) y actualmente lo perjudica más.

“Hemos estado recibiendo reportes contradictorios acerca del número exacto, pero es posible que 10 años de salario es en lo que Battistelli este insistiéndo.”Como alguien nos dijo anteriormente, ¨Alison Brimelow fue inclinada masivamente a la transparencia – no oculto nada. Parece raro que Battistelli pudiera haber demandado un salario mayor que el de ella, al menos que el realmente promovió las ¨reformas¨ como una masiva tarea de trabajo que totalmente cambiaría la oficina. Para mejor, quiero decir,¨

Por propósitos comparativos, como una personal lo puso, ¨Martin Schulz (Presidente del Parlamento Europeo) gana 200K plus gastos, el Presidente de la Comisión Europea Jean-Claude Juncker, gana 112.5% del más alto grado de servicio civil, alrededor de 300K,¨ ¿Recibe Battistelli 6 (seis!) veces más que el último gana (Presidente de la Comisión European)? Lo dudamos. Si es verdad, entonces es un escándalo masivo por venir. Consideren que las personas que controlan su salario son también más on menos de su ¨circulo¨, lo que pueda llevar a alegatos de corrupción (sin embargo el Asunto Bygmalion).

Si Battistelli se queda (hasta el 2018, lo que es extremadamente improbable), será pagado por 2-3 años de trabajo; ¿Porqué debería el ser pagado por 10 (o más) por renunciar, lo que fue causado por su propia imbecílidad? Resulta Increíble. █

Links 2/3/2016: KDE Plasma 5.5.5, SSLv2 Bug

Posted in News Roundup at 5:12 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNOME bluefish

Contents

GNU/Linux

Free Software/Open Source

  • The Evolving Market for Commercial Software Built On Open Source

    That is no longer the case. While an awful lot of companies are still stuck running immense software packages critical to their infrastructure, new projects are being deployed on cloud servers using open source technologies. This makes it much easier to upgrade one’s capabilities without having to rip out a huge software package and reinstall something else, and it also allows companies to pay as they go, rather than paying for a bunch of features they’ll never use.

    And there are a lot of customers who want to take advantage of open source projects without building and supporting a team of engineers to tweak one of those projects for their own unique needs. Those customers are willing to pay for software packages whose value is based on the delta between the open source projects and the proprietary features laid on top of that project.

  • Node.js 5.7 released ahead of impending OpenSSL updates

    The Node.js Foundation is gearing up this week for fixes to OpenSSL that could mean updates to Node.js itself.

    Releases to OpenSSL due on Tuesday will fix defects deemed to be of “high” severity, Rod Vagg, foundation technical steering committee director, said in a blog post on Monday. Within a day of the OpenSSL releases, the Node.js crypto team will assess their impacts, saying, “Please be prepared for the possibility of important updates to Node.js v0.10, v0.12, v4 and v5 soon after Tuesday, the 1st of March.”

  • Q&A: H2O.ai’s Vinod Iyengar on Machine Learning and Open Source

    On the tech scene today, it’s clear that cloud computing, Big Data analytics and machine learning are huge themes, and open source technologies are helping to drive these trends. There is also a shortage of skilled workers in these areas, and a shortage of understanding of the relevant technologies. At OStatic, we’ve been conducting an ongoing series of interviews with influencers focused on these key technology areas, and we’re particularly focused on how open source is involved.

    [...]

    We operate under the Apache 2.0 license, the most flexible open source license available.

  • Genode OS 16.02 Ported To RISC-V CPU Architecture

    Genode OS 16.02 has been released as the newest version of this popular, open-source operating system framework.

    The prominent features of Genode OS 16.02 include a port to the RISC-V CPU architecture, secure pass-through of USB devices to virtual machines, and updates to their Muen and seL4 kernels.

  • Events

    • Open Networking Summit

      ONS is the forum for service providers, enterprises, disruptive and incumbent vendors, open source projects, leading researchers and investors to discuss SDN and NFV developments and to shape the future of the networking industry.

  • SaaS/Big Data

    • Cloudera launches open-source effort to harness Hadoop for security analytics

      Hadoop will soon be brought up much more often in enterprise security discussions if Cloudera Inc.’s newest community effort achieves its goal. The Open Network Insight (ONI) project launched on GitHub this week to help organizations take advantage of data crunching platform’s processing power in their breach prevention efforts.

      The documentation for the tool explains that it’s a mix of free technologies from the Hadoop ecosystem and machine learning algorithms that Cloudera created in collaboration with a number of leading network protection vendors. Once all of its components are properly deployed, ONI starts pulling traffic logs from the environment that it’s protecting into the Hadoop File System, where they’re analyzed in stages.

    • Mirantis Delivers its Latest OpenStack Distribution

      Mirantis is out with version 8 of its OpenStack distribution, wrapping in the OpenStack Liberty release. The company says this release is the most stable OpenStack distribution available and it sought much feedback from large customers in building this release. The company has also announced that 26,000 unique users across 3,500 development teams globally are using its distribution now.

  • Oracle/Java/LibreOffice

    • Oracle’s JET flies into open source skies

      Oracle has published the code for its long-awaited open source JavaScript Extension Toolkit (JET) version 2.0.0.

      If you’re interested in looking over the code at GitHub, here’s what Big Red says is in the box: a full JS development toolkit, SPA template-based lifecycle management, two-way binding with a common model layer, single-page app navigation and mobile support.

      Open source libraries used with JET include jQuery, the jQuery UI, Knockout, RequireJS and Hammer.

    • LibreOffice Conference 2016 in Brno

      LibreOffice Conference will take place in Brno, Czech Republic this year. It will be our third international desktop-related conference in Brno. After GUADEC 2013 and Akademy 2014. And we’re very much looking forward to it.

      The conference is still more than 6 months away, but the organization already started some time ago. We made an agreement with the local technical university about the venue. It’s the venue where GUADEC 2013 and DevConf.cz 2015 and 2016 took place. The campus premises used to be a Cartesian monastery which was founded in the 14th century. Just recently, the campus was renovated and now features a beautiful combination of historical and modern architecture.

  • Pseudo-/Semi-Open Source (Openwashing)

  • Openness/Sharing

  • Programming

Leftovers

  • Google’s Self-Driving Car Causes First Accident, As Programmers Try To Balance Human Simulacrum And Perfection

    Google’s self-driving cars have driven millions of miles with only a dozen or so accidents, all of them being the fault of human drivers rear-ending Google vehicles. In most of these cases, the drivers either weren’t paying attention, or weren’t prepared for a vehicle that was actually following traffic rules. But this week, an incident report by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (pdf) highlighted that a Google automated vehicle was at fault in an accident for what’s believed to be the first time.

  • Health/Nutrition

    • NHS comes top in healthcare survey

      The NHS has been declared the best healthcare system by an international panel of experts who rated its care superior to countries which spend far more on health.

      The same study also castigated healthcare provision in the US as the worst of the 11 countries it looked at. Despite putting the most money into health, America denies care to many patients in need because they do not have health insurance and is also the poorest at saving the lives of people who fall ill, it found.

      The report has been produced by the Commonwealth Fund, a Washington-based foundation which is respected around the world for its analysis of the performance of different countries’ health systems. It examined an array of evidence about performance in 11 countries, including detailed data from patients, doctors and the World Health Organisation.

  • Security

  • Defence/Police/Secrecy/Aggression

    • NRA Lobbyist Will Co-Host Hillary Clinton Fundraiser

      Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has called her support for gun control laws a key differentiator from her opponent Bernie Sanders, who she claims isn’t tough enough on the industry. But in mid-March, a Clinton campaign fundraiser will be co-hosted by a lobbyist whose clients include the National Rifle Association (NRA).

    • Former NSA and CIA director presents book at Nixon Library

      The Richard Nixon Foundation hosted Gen. Michael Hayden at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum on Tuesday night.

      Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency and the CIA, presented his new book, “Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror.”

    • Clinton-Bush Hardliner Attacks Congress for Blocking Invasion of Syria

      Michael Hayden [pictured left] said this in a video clip at Huffington Post Live, where the context of what he was saying was left ambiguous, but it concerned only the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, so his comment there was gratuitous: he asserted (at 23:00 in the complete interview) that the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are prisoners of war and thus can legally be kept imprisoned for the rest of their lives without there being any need at all for them (and there were 775 of them) to be heard in any court — he said they’re prisoners of war and not prisoners of any legal system at all; and, so, even if they were actually captured in error (as many of them were found to have been), they’ve got no legal rights at all. Innocence or guilt is legally irrelevant to their continued imprisonment, says this former chief of America’s CIA and of the NSA.

  • Transparency Reporting

    • Intel Agencies: Clinton Emails Match Top Secret Documents

      Clinton supporters, erroneously, make much out of the idea that of the many, many emails that passed through her private server, none were “marked” classified. They claim that, when in fact thousands of those same emails are indeed now marked classified, that is just after-the-fact Washington squabbling.

      So this new information — that America’s intelligence agencies now say the contents of some of those unmarked emails match the contents of their own classified documents — is a big deal. It also suggests just how Clinton’s unclassified server came to be loaded up with classified material.

  • Environment/Energy/Wildlife

    • Towns In Florida Can Keep Their Fracking Bans, State Senate Says

      It wouldn’t have been the first time something like this happened. People in small towns and counties get together, vote, and agree to ban fracking. And then the state legislature comes in and passes a ban on bans.

      But not this time.

      The Florida Senate’s Appropriations Committee has finally killed a bill that would have stopped towns from banning fracking, a week after the committee voted the measure down by a 10-9 vote. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Garrett Richter (R) made a motion Tuesday to not consider the bill.

    • “The Old Normal Is Gone”: February Shatters Global Temperature Records

      Our planet’s preliminary February temperature data are in, and it’s now abundantly clear: Global warming is going into overdrive.

      There are dozens of global temperature datasets, and usually I (and my climate journalist colleagues) wait until the official ones are released about the middle of the following month to announce a record-warm month at the global level. But this month’s data is so extraordinary that there’s no need to wait: February obliterated the all-time global temperature record set just last month.

  • Finance

    • Canada Agrees To Use EU’s ‘Lipstick On A Pig’ Version Of Corporate Sovereignty For CETA

      Last September, Techdirt reported on the EU’s plan to replace the highly-controversial corporate sovereignty provisions in TAFTA/TTIP — the “investor-state dispute settlement” (ISDS) chapter — with something it called the “Investor Court System” (ICS). As we reported then, even if ICS addressed all the problems of ISDS — spoiler alert: it certainly doesn’t — there was a huge backdoor in the form of CETA, the trade deal between the EU and Canada. If CETA includes old-style corporate sovereignty provisions, US companies with subsidiaries in Canada will be able to use CETA to by-pass TAFTA/TTIP’s new ICS system completely, and sue EU nations using ISDS with all its widely-recognized faults. In fact, Bernd Lange, the MEP with responsibility for making recommendations on how the European Parliament (EP) should vote on international trade matters, said at the time that he would not support CETA if it included ISDS.

  • Censorship

  • Privacy

  • Civil Rights

    • The Provocative President of the Supreme Court

      In essence, the President was trolling us – in the proper sense of that much-abused word.

    • End This British Atrocity

      One of the worst atrocities of the British Empire occurred well within my own lifetime – the removal of an entire people, the Chagossians, from their homeland. Uprooted and deposited across the seas hundreds of miles away, many died from the physical and psychological effects of this crime against humanity. The thing is, it is still happening. The survivors have clung together as a community, and the British government are still actively preventing their return to their homeland – all to make way for an American military base on Diego Garcia. There is no reason other than simple Imperialism for America to maintain a military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

      [...]

      It is of course another example of the unparalleled talent for hypocrisy of the British state that the same politicians who declare their willingness to fight and die for the right of self-determination of the Falkland Islanders, will defend the deportation of the Chagos Islanders and their continued exclusion from their own islands. Again I would stress that Labour have been at least as guilty as Tories. The entire British state is complicit in this atrocity.

    • Debating Glenn Greenwald was like “looking the devil in the eye”: Ex-NSA chief Michael Hayden details distaste for media in new book

      Former CIA and NSA Director Michael Hayden is not a big fan of journalists. At least, that’s what his new book, “Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror,” appears to suggest.

    • Ex-CIA Chief: ‘American Armed Forces Would Refuse to Act’ If Trump Ordered Torture
    • On whistleblowers and secrecy: What author Barry Eisler said to a room of ex-intelligence officers

      You might have come across a phrase involving Snowden—in fact, this phrase isn’t easy to avoid if you favor establishment pundits like David Brooks and Fred Kaplan and Josh Marshall—to the effect that Snowden violated his “oath of secrecy.” Even former CIA director David Petraeus has claimed—awkwardly, in retrospect—there is such an oath. I wrote about this supposed oath in a bit more detail after the first Snowden stories broke, in a blog post called “Memo to Authoritarians.”

      All of us in this room know there is no “oath of secrecy”—that the notion of such an “oath” is the product either of ignorance or propaganda. There is a secrecy agreement—what here in Silicon Valley we typically call a nondisclosure agreement, or NDA. But to inflate the status of such an agreement to the level of an “oath,” akin to, say, the president’s oath of office, is false and misleading.

  • Internet/Net Neutrality

    • FCC ‘Probing’ Whether Cable Companies Have Sabotaged Internet Video

      Most people realize that the cable and broadcast industry has worked tirelessly to protect its legacy cash cow from disruption. Dish was forced to make its ad-skipping DVR less useful if it wanted streaming licensing rights. Fox, Disney and Comcast/NBC for years kept Hulu from being too disruptive. ESPN sued Verizon for trying to offer more flexible TV lineups. Apple keeps running face first into broadcasters terrified of real disruption with its own TV plans. That’s before you even get to cable companies busy capping and metering usage to hurt streaming services, while zero rating their own services for competitive advantage.

  • Intellectual Monopolies

    • Copyrights

      • Operator of Sweden’s Largest Streaming Site Arrested on Secret European Warrant

        A man suspected of being the main operator of what was once Sweden’s largest streaming site has been arrested in Germany following the execution of a secret European warrant. The man, reportedly a Turkish national, is believed to have set up advertising deals at Swefilmer resulting in around $1.7m in revenue.

      • Jay-Z’s Tidal Music Streaming Service Hit With $5 Million Copyright Lawsuit

        In a twist of irony, Tidal, the music streaming service owned by Jay-Z and touting its pro-music artist model, is now being sued for not paying its artists.

      • Tidal Sued For Unpaid Royalties And Cooking The Streaming Counts

        It’s been no secret that Tidal, Jay-Z’s foray into the music streaming business, hasn’t exactly had the success it was supposed to have. In the wake of all the angry sentiment about just how much other streaming services were paying musical artists, Tidal positioned itself as artist-friendly, the option for fans that want to make sure musicians get paid. It sounded great, except now Tidal finds itself joining the club of streaming services facing legal action over artist royalties.

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