Bonum Certa Men Certa

Church of EPO: How Team Battistelli Engineered the Dismissal of People Not Sufficiently Loyal to Them - Part I

God Blatterstelli



Summary: A new series which looks back at how Battistelli stacked the deck not only by crushing oversight but also amassing instruments of coercion over staff, with various new pretexts for dismissal

AT THE end of last week we shared a single page from the EPO's CoC. There is a lot more to be said about it and this long post shall help the EPO with transparency that Battistelli loves so much to brag about (without actually doing anything to that effect).



Here is the page/leaf in full:

EPO CoC page



As a reminder, in the words of a reader, a lot of this relates to the union-busting activities we have been seeing since the end of 2015 (they truly intensified at that point but didn't start then). Here is what Battistelli et al pushed through to staff:

EPO on protecting staff



The above was a culmination of something that had been cooking for a while. Consider the full CoC:

Europaisches Patentamt European Patent Office Office européen des brevets

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE EPO




EPO’s PUBLIC SERVICE VALUES

- Respect for the individual - Integrity and accountability - Impartiality and objectivity - Compliance with the rules of law - Quality and professionalism




The European Patent Office’s public service values are a guide to behaviour which should promote the development of a culture of respect. The values are: respect for the individual; integrity and accountability; impartiality and objectivity; compliance with the rules of law; quality and professionalism.

These values, which are all of equal rank, guide our actions and underlie the EPO’s mission, which is to support innovation, competitiveness and economic growth across Europe through a commitment to high quality and efficient service delivered under the European Patent Convention (EPC).

These values apply to all persons working at and for the Office. Staff with managerial responsibilities are expected to promote these values by leadership and example.

This document does not create another legal framework and refers to the existing EPO regulations setting out the formal obligations of its staff. In the event of any conflict between the content of this code of conduct and formal obligations under the EPC or Service Regulations, then those obligations take precedence.

Confronted with an individual or collective breach of these values, all staff must be allowed to exercise freely and in good faith their right to draw attention to it without any fear of reprisal. They may in particular ask their line manager or Human Resources partner, or the responsible unit within Internal Audit and Oversight for advice. I undertake to respect our values and ensure that they are respected.

Benoît Battistelli

President




RESPECT FOR THE INDIVIDUAL

The services provided by the Office are the result of the work done by qualified and motivated staff members. The Office therefore recognises the individual value of each and every employee. Mutual respect, dignity, respect for human rights, nondiscrimination and the promotion of diversity are our guiding principles.

Our keywords

● DIGNITY ● NON-DISCRIMINATION ● TOLERANCE ● TRUST AND RELIABILITY ● LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING ● POLITENESS ● OPENNESS ● DIALOGUE ● HEALTH ● SAFETY




Our approach

We share the international community’s commitment to respect human rights.

We strive to create a working environment marked by mutual respect.

Mutual respect, trust and the ability to listen are indispensable elements in our professional relations. Each individual’s abilities and talents deserve to be acknowledged.

We take the necessary steps to provide a safe and healthy working environment.

We seek to promote diversity and equal opportunities among employees.

We are committed to not allowing situations to arise which could be prejudicial to the dignity of our colleagues. We make every effort to prevent any form of discrimination or harassment.




INTEGRITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Integrity is an inalienable criterion for our professional conduct. It implies acting with responsibility, accountability, loyalty, discretion and common sense. We resist all forms of corruption.

Our keywords

● HONESTY ● LOYALTY ● FAIRNESS ● CONFIDENTIALITY ● EXAMPLE




Our approach

We act with honesty, responsibility and discretion.

We act with loyalty and solely in the interest of the Office. We perform our tasks under the authority of the President of the Office, except for the specific responsibilities or functions expressly laid down in the EPC or Service Regulations.

We respect the scope of our responsibilities and of the tasks entrusted to us. When delegating tasks, we remain accountable for their execution and results, and therefore managers exercise adequate supervision and control.

We respect the confidentiality of information: we do not disclose confidential information received in the course of our work to unauthorised persons, nor use it for our own benefit or to the detriment of the Office.

Our duty to do our work to the best of our abilities also implies an obligation to share with our colleagues the information necessary to perform their own duties.

We are committed to combating all types of fraud.

We are careful in our external communications and respect our duties of tact and discretion about the Office. In particular, we refrain from making any statement that could be detrimental to it.




IMPARTIALITY AND OBJECTIVITY

The Office and its staff must remain independent of all governments, authorities, organisations or persons outside the Organisation. Our conduct must be impartial and reflect that independence. We tackle situations which could impair our objectivity.

Our keywords

● INDEPENDENCE ● NEUTRALITY ● EQUAL TREATMENT ● IMMUNITY




Our approach

We seek to ensure that nothing which occurs under our responsibility is or could appear to be a direct or indirect act of preferential support for a political, economic, ideological or religious group.

We refrain from doing or saying anything that might call our impartiality and objectivity into question.

Our actions when taking decisions or leading projects are reasoned.

We need to be impartial and objective. We are aware of the risk of potential conflicts of interest, whether actual or apparent. Where possible, we avoid them; where not, we disclose and manage them.

Gifts or other favours might compromise our professional impartiality. Therefore we do not solicit any. And, without the President’s permission, we do not accept any either.




COMPLIANCE WITH THE RULES OF LAW

The Office has its own legal system, which must be respected.

The Office and its staff must also respect the applicable national laws of the country they are in and must meet their legal and financial obligations.

Our keywords

● LEGALITY ● JUSTICE ● RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS




Our approach

We respect both the letter and spirit of the Office’s rules and regulations.

We apply these rules and regulations fairly and in good faith.

We act with professionalism and a sense of social responsibility in observing the applicable laws, and respecting customs and traditions of the countries in which we work, contributing responsibly to the welfare of society.

Our privileges and immunities do not prevent us from complying with our obligations under applicable national laws.




QUALITY AND PROFESSIONALISM

The way each of us does our job is reflected in the Office’s overall performance. Our commitment to high quality and efficient public service is a contribution to innovation, competitiveness and economic growth in Europe.

Our keywords

● INNOVATION ● COMPETENCE ● PROFESSIONALISM ● TRAINING ● EXCELLENCE ● EFFICIENCY




Our approach

We give of our best to achieve our professional goals and to offer an efficient public service.

We work with colleagues in a spirit of teamwork and co-operation.

We manage the Office’s resources appropriately and efficiently, in line with the principles of economy and sound financial management.

We strive to maintain, adapt and develop skills within the Office. With the aim of ensuring sustainability, we act in a strategic and long-term perspective, not in our own immediate interests.

We do our best to reach highest international standards and best practice.



The above makes widely available what should have been publicly available all along. It helps accountability (for management, not only those who are managed by abusive management).

Later this week we are going to show how Battistelli essentially engineered the sacking of people whom he viewed as obstruction for his (and his corporate bosses') agenda. Stay tuned for more.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Lies Need to be Corrected
the Court never invited us
 
Links 16/10/2025: Political Leftovers and Gemini Protocol Links
Links for the day
Slopwatch: Guardian Digital (linuxsecurity.com), Slashdot, Google News, and More
Maybe one day, once the bubble pops completely, Google News will just outright delist all slopfarms
Lufthansa Modern Slavery, Joerg Jaspert (ganneff) & Debian NSB Softwareentwicklung charade
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 16/10/2025: US Starting More Trade Wars With China, CIA War on Venezuela
Links for the day
SUSE Blog is Still LLM Slop, Marketing Manager at SUSE Cannot Write
Would you buy from a company or seek support from a company that cannot even write (or fakes writing)?
Pretend You're Not Dead: Microsoft Spent Almost Two Decades Rebranding Things as "Cloud, Then "AI", Now "XBox" and "Quantum"
"AI" bubble pops, Microsoft harping about "quantum" already
IBM Allegedly Found New Tricks for Silent Layoffs: LPI, Then MIS (Not PIP)
Remember that "Red Hat layoffs" won't be reported after the bluewashing
Links 16/10/2025: Red Lines and Feeding of Microsoft Trolls
Links for the day
MIT as a Propaganda Mill of GAFAM, Paid by GAFAM
"the news" today
Links 16/10/2025: Lies Euphemised as ‘Dueling Versions of Reality’ and Microsoft "Open" "Hey Hi" Resorts to Porn as No Business Model Was Found
Links for the day
The Local Staff Committee Munich (Representation of the EPO's Staff) Explains When Cluster of Pregnancies May Result in Reduced Pay
"...even one week of part-time working is sufficient to reduce the salary you perceive during the entirety of your maternity leave."
Another Black Eye for 'Secure Boot', Microsoft Media Tries to Blame "Linux"
It enables Microsoft to remotely control computers, even computers that don't run Windows and never had any Microsoft software installed
Slopwatch: UbuntuPIT, linuxsecurity.com, and Various Slopfarms in Google News Attacking "Linux"
A new survey of the Web said that the majority of the Web is now slop (that's being said in the news this week)
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, October 15, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Links 16/10/2025: Increased Use of Social Control Media Surveillance in US, French Rage Over Pensions
Links for the day
Links 15/10/2025: Qantas Airways Loses Control of Sensitive Data and Software Patents Are Being Thrown Out
Links for the day
Vista 10 is 'Dead', Here's Why People Should Move to GNU/Linux (or the BSDs)
Today we try to make an outline of reasons move away from Windows to GNU/Linux
Our Sites Continue to Improve
LLM slop has had no noticeable impact on us
Gemini Links 15/10/2025: Neovim, Helix Compared and Gemlog.blue Now Closed
Links for the day
Links 15/10/2025: Mass Layoffs at Amazon, OneDrive Spyware Revved Up, More 'Gen Z Protests'
Links for the day
The EPO's Staff Engagement Survey 2025 is Already Tainted by Intimidation by EPO Management (Trying to Influence Outcomes by Scaring Genuine, Honest Critics)
"[W]e have received reports that, following the previous survey, teams with negative responses were reproached or questioned about their answers..."
The DDoS Attacks by Microsoft's Scam Altman and Other Slop Charlatans and Frauds is Hurting the FSF, Delinking It From Copyleft Projects
This impacts a lot more than access to the licences
Microsoft Scanning Faces in Photos People Upload to Microsoft (Even Unconsciously), Slashdot Turns Report About It Into "Microsoft Sez" (Says)
Or "let's repeat the lies from a PR person/Microsoft's publicist"
[Teaser] Angel Aledo Lopez the Manipulator (Nepotism, Poll Rigging, and Other EPO Corruption)
We'll discuss this later today or tomorrow, based on internal EPO material
Attacks on Techrights Are Only Making Techrights Bigger and Even More Popular
A week ago they offered to settle with us
Epic Metaphor for End of IBM: "The IBM Demolition is Down to the Last Shards!"
Nothing lasts forever
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, October 14, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Proprietary and DRM Prisons Spiralling Down the Sinkhole? Not Just Yet.
Let's hope that more people will flee to GNU/Linux
The European Patent Office (EPO), the Second-Largest Institution in Europe, is Cracking Down on Recreational Activities
Without AMICALE activities, and as staff already says it's pressured to work more for less, how can the EPO recruit bright people?
Transparency: FSFE financial reports exclude speaker fees and expenses
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Many Developers Have Many Political Views, They'll Never Agree on Everything
It's an effort to divide and destroy, not build
Gemini Links 14/10/2025: An Opportunity to Consider GNU/Linux and Another Simple IRC Client
Links for the day
Slopwatch: UbuntuPIT, LinuxSecurity, Google News, and the Serial Slopper Brian Fagioli
Nothing of merit here, just more slop
Links 14/10/2025: Lack of Trust in Slop and "Retirement Challenges"
Links for the day
EPO Staff Can Go Listen to Richard Stallman Next Week in Munich (Technical University of Munich, Rudolf-Diesel Hörsaal (MW2001) on Campus Garching at 18:00)
"The talk is open to the public and attendance is free. Registration is not required."
Rhonda D'Vine, Gerfried Fuchs, Pronouns & Debian pregnancy cluster
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
At IBM, Relocation Means Layoffs (Downsizing)
Silent or 'invisible' layoffs?
Central Staff Committee of the European Patent Office (EPO) Warns That EPO Management is Robbing or Manipulating Pension Funds Again
Faking "growth" is just about as bad as forgery
Probably a Lot Worse Than LLM Slop: GNOME Tying Itself to Divisive Politics, Even Where It's Clearly Not Relevant
Something has gone terribly wrong in GNOME
Links 14/10/2025: Microsoft OneDrive Scanning Faces in Photos (Without Asking First), "OpenAI Says It Will Move to Allow Smut"
Links for the day
They Generally Don't Like Scholars, as They're Less Compelled or Pressured to Repeat What Corporations and Oligarchs Say
People who loathe scholars have an agenda in mind that, unlike that of reasonable people, revolves around controlling people
Dystopian Trends in Technology Make Richard Stallman More Relevant Than Ever
It's good to see him attracting vast audiences
Belated New Article About Last Thursday's Lecture by Richard Stallman in Helsinki, Finland
there are good reasons to pay with cash, not limited to privacy
Attacking Richard Stallman Has Become 'Career Suicide'
If you're going to viciously attack somebody, make sure your arguments are rock-solid
Microsoft's Failing XBox Business Has Turned Games Into Funerals
How does it feel to depend on Microsoft?
Yesterday's "Distinguished Lecture" by Richard Stallman Possibly Attended by Close to 1,000 People
The capacity of the place is about 900
Slop Poisons Everything
Imagine wanting to find what Torvalds has just said or what has just been released
Taking Software Freedom 'Mainstream'
interest in Software Freedom must have grown
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, October 13, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, October 13, 2025
Gemini Links 14/10/2025: Ada Lovelace Day, Sony CLIE PEG-TG50 Review, Why to Avoid Network Solutions
Links for the day
Richard Stallman (RMS) Announced His Talk Less Than 24 Hours Before It Took Place and Still Filled Up the Auditorium at Sapienza Università di Roma
Photos from yesterday evening [...] It looks like it was a very successful event