Strikes and Demonstrations of EPO Staff

(more photos...)

The EPO staff are trying to make their voice heard by a series of actions against the undermining of the European Patent Organisation by its own governing body (see below).

On October 22nd, some 500 staff took part in a demonstration during a meeting of the Administrative Council, symbolically showering delegates with chocolate coins to signify that the member states are solely interested in milking the organisation as a cash cow.

On September 18th, during one of the strikes of EPO staff at all four sites of employment, over 250 travelled to Brussels to take part in a demonstration. The demonstration route went from Square Frère Orban to the Berlaymont, the seat of the European Commission. A petition was delivered to the German, British and French embassies. At the Berlaymont, the seat of European Commission, speeches were held by the SUEPO chairmen as well as by Sylvie Jacobs, Vice-President of USF. On September 19th, a SUEPO delegation was further invited to discuss their concerns with the European Commission.

IAM Magazine, and in particular Mr. Joff Wild, have repeatedly challenged the SUEPO views behind these actions as unfounded and disingenious. In a letter to Mr. Wild SUEPO provided as much evidence as our duty of discretion allows. Follow the link to also find Mr. Wild's response.

Some of the many other reports in the media are as follows:

Heise: Prüfer am Europäischen Patentamt rebellieren (22/10/08).

VDI Nachrichten: Streit im Europäischen Patentamt - Reproduced with kind permission(2/10/08).

USF - Agora: No to an anti-European Management (09/08).

The Register: EPO staff strike over patent quality, Accuse office directors of profiteering (25/09/08).

EU Observer: Europe handing out patents like candy, strikers say (24/09/08).

Slashdot: EU Patent Staff Go On Strike (23/09/08).

Stop Software Patents Blog - "Alison demission" shout EPO examiners in Brussels (23/09/08).

IAM:: European patent examiners need to level with us, not hide behind dubious stats (16/09/08).

PatentFools.com: Patent Demonstration and Workforce Strike (13/09/08).

Heise: Mitarbeiter des Europäischen Patentamts wollen für Reformen demonstrieren (12/09/08).

IAM: Union calls European patent examiners out on strike (08/09/08).

Stop Software Patents Blog - Examiners to demonstrate against broken governance of the EPO next 18th September in Brussels (08/09/08).

Strategic Renewal

On 17th-19th September 2008, the management team of the EPO once again met en masse (this time in Brussels) to discuss "Strategic Renewal". Strategic renewal is the banner under which a change process is being pursued in order to re-analyse and redefine the European Patent System and the role of the EPO in the future.

As far as we are aware the EPO has not published much information on "Strategic Renewal" itself. However, some information on the underlying concept of a global or "European Patent Network" and the related "Utilisation Pilot Project" (UPP) is provided.

Further details can be found in the following:

Heise: Großbritannien strebt grundlegende Änderung des EU-Patentwesens an (24/09/08).

SUEPO: Making EPO fit for the future (SUEPO solutions) or avoiding global warming (13/02/08).

IP::Jur: News From EPO Transforming Itself (EPO 2.0) (03/10/07).

SUEPO: Strategic renewal - Mis(s)Leading the EPO? (01/10/07).

IP::Jur: European Patent Network EPN - The Unknown Entity? (29/09/07).

It would appear that despite claims that nothing is pre-cooked, firm ideas already existed before any consultation as to the direction that the Office and Organisation should take:

IAM: A European perspective on global patent workload - by Ciarán McGinley (April/May 2007).

Denmark openly campaigned for the EPO to take a more background role already in 2006.

EPO staff motivation levels hit all time low

As reported below, EPO staff recently registered their continued severe lack of trust in management, and extreme dissatisfaction with the EPO as an employer:

FT: Europas Patentprüfer meutern (13/06/08).

Heise: Unzufriedenheit im Europäischen Patentamt wächst (09/06/08).

Spiegel: Personalumfrage, Tausende Patentamt-Mitarbeiter sind genervt von Chefetage (07/06/08).

Staff have been voicing their concerns for the last few years and have become increasingly frustrated at the lack of any acceptable progress. At all levels from the Administrative Council through to the President and reflected by the attitudes and approach of upper management, there has been a damaging focus on quantity and efficiency at the expense of quality. This is not unique to the EPO and, in 2007, an international coalition of patent examiners' unions registered their dissatisfaction by sending an open letter to respective political leaders and heads of patent offices, which SUEPO handed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel with a cover letter. (more info)

At the EPO, staff are particularly concerned that the members of the Administrative Council are prevented from acting in the true interests of the European patent system and organisation due to the financial consequences of their decisions for their own national patent offices. In 2007, EPO staff held demonstrations in both Munich and Bern against the inappropriate governance structure and submitted a document to the council outlining their concerns. In May 2008, SUEPO sent a letter to the French President of the European Council, Mr. Sarkozy, appealing to him to address the matter (English translation, German translation). Mr. Sarkozy took note of the letter.

EPO president preaches doom and gloom

Alison Brimelow, the EPO president, is currently on a mission to paint a picture of financial and workload crisis at the EPO, often referring to "global patent warming". Some recent interviews and comments in the press can be found as follows:

Heise: Europäisches Patentamt warnt vor einem "Global Patent Warming" (11/09/09).

IAM: Senior EPO official warns of tougher patentabiliy standards and higher fees (28/07/08).

WIPO: World Patent Report: A Statistical Review (2008) contradicts assertions of drastically increased filings at the EPO (see "highlights").

ITExaminer.com: Inventors upset over patent delays (19/06/08).

IPKat: Patents delayed, Alison Brimelow "worried" (19/06/08).

IAM: More mutual recognition talk as patent harmonisation efforts intensify (19/06/08).

BBC: Patent delays frustrate inventors (19/06/08).

TMPDF: EPO Future Workload Study; document CA 144/07 – Comments by TMPDF (05/08).

EPO Future Workload Study, prepared by the Board 28 and endorsed by the Administrative Council in December 2007.

Mutual recognition raises its head as EPO boss says backlog won't be mastered (08/05/08).

Der Standard.at: Europäische Patentorganisation versinkt im Schuldensumpf (15/01/08).

AFP: Europäisches Patentamt warnt vor Bearbeitungsstau (12/01/08).

Heise: Europäisches Patentamt angeblich knapp bei Kasse (3/12/07).

IAM: EPO faces deficit crisis, Brimelow reveals (27/11/07).

Blog Blawg Austria: Ein effektives Patent-System und seine Kosten (27/11/07).

FT.com: The true cost of a system that is patently outmoded (23/11/07).

Staff dignity

EPO staff are currently fighting a number of battles with regard to their working conditions and basic rights. The following article appeared recently:

Agora: EPO management goes against fundamental rights of its staff (06/07).