01.20.16
Gemini version available ♊︎In Unison, Nations Hop Aboard the Unitary Patent Train Wreck, For (Foreign) Corporate Gain at Europe’s Expense
The truly horrible UPC (should stand for “Unlimited Power for Corporations”), which no European politician wants to even publicly talk about
Summary: The 1%’s (richest people’s) wishlist regarding patent enforcement (high damages, broad injunctions etc.) is quickly progressing without the public even made aware of it or honestly lectured on its consequences for ordinary Europeans
LAST week we spotted early signs of Britain falling deeper into the UPC trap, having already jumped the gun and set up courts as if unitary patent courts were inevitable. Days ago we wrote about what IP Kat now calls “BREAKING NEWS” (yes, all caps!) and we contacted some officials, who were of course stonewalling, pretending they don’t exist at all (or are blind/deaf). And they say we have a functioning democracy here in the UK… with elected officials, representatives, etc.
“And they say we have a functioning democracy here in the UK… with elected officials, representatives, etc.”In light of heavy EPO lobbying for UPC (in spite of backlash from many) we think that stopping the UPC in the UK has just gotten harder. It “now needs to receive approval from both Houses of Parliament,” IP Kat wrote. “Usually, this can be achieved quite quickly, and once the SI is approved, the UK will be in a position to ratify the UPC Agreement.”
As one among several comments put it (some from opportunistic patent lawyers in the UK), the “UK should not ratify until it is clear the rule of law applies within the EPO. The EU cannot and should not subcontract to an organisation that appears to flout laws on Human Rights.”
“Do we really want to give even more power and authority to thugs like Benoît Battistelli and Željko Topić, who treat their own staff like dirt?”As pointed out in numerous sites of patent lawyers (opportunistic and self-serving in this context) since Wednesday morning, Finland made a big mistake, giving more authority to these people who are immune from European law. As WIPR put it today: “Finland has become the latest country to ratify the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Agreement, raising the total number of confirmed participants to nine.
“The country deposited its instrument of ratification yesterday, January 19. The development was confirmed on the European Council’s website.
“Finland is the latest country to approve the UPC deal since Portugal ratified the agreement last August.”
Do we really want to give even more power and authority to thugs like Benoît Battistelli and Željko Topić, who treat their own staff like dirt? Imagine how they’d treat Europe as a whole (it is already appalling enough as it is).
” It’s all about making the rich and the powerful richer and more powerful. Ordinary Europeans have nothing to gain from it.”It’s not clear why a country like Portugal might make such an error in light of the terrible treatment that its neighbour, Spain, has been receiving from the EPO (see Spanish translation). Taking into account previous names/labels for UPC, we have written many hundreds of articles about it over the years. Its effect on Europe is similar to that of TPP and/or TTIP. It’s all about making the rich and the powerful richer and more powerful. Ordinary Europeans have nothing to gain from it. They don’t even get to vote on it! If citizens were given the ability to make informed decisions and cast a vote on this, it would never pass. Remember ACTA? █
“None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them.”
–Charles Caleb Colton
ᶃ Gemini Space
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