Bonum Certa Men Certa

The European Patent Organisation (EPO) Loses Legitimacy If (or When) Christoph Ernst Becomes Subservient to António Campinos

Reinforcing the idea that the European Patent Office controls the European Patent Organisation and not the other way around (as originally intended)

Jesper Kongstad and Battistelli working together



Summary: The structural deficiencies of the EPO, where separation of powers does not quite exist, is further pronounced by the imminent role of Christoph Ernst, who gets 'demoted' from pseudo-boss of Campinos to a mere assistant of his

IMAGINE the response from the American public if the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) directed Donald Trump or Theresa May directed the European Union. That doesn't make sense, does it? Well, things don't make sense at all when it comes to the European patent system, where people who constantly attack judges want to boss judges and even control all the European patent courts (UPC).



"It was previously demonstrated that Bergot had sent threatening letters and now is a bad time to get on the 'naughty list' of the Office, which is cutting staff figures (longterm hiring freeze, many early retirements and even controversial sackings)."It is regretful that people who grant European Patents lost their voice. Their representatives must ask permission to speak or issue a publication. The union, which represents most of these people, is afraid to speak. No word from SUEPO about the European Patent Office (EPO) in nearly 3 weeks now. Unusual silence (long interval), probably suggestive of intimidation and (self) censorship. It was previously demonstrated that Bergot had sent threatening letters and now is a bad time to get on the 'naughty list' of the Office, which is cutting staff figure (longterm hiring freeze, many early retirements and even controversial sackings).

It has meanwhile been (and is still being) heralded that Kratochvíl will be the next lapdog of the body he 'governs' (just like his two predecessors, starting with Jesper Kongstad; see his letter at the top). The following new article points out that Christoph Ernst becomes assistant to the man he 'bossed', António Campinos. How is that even possible? It creates several conflicts (past, present and future because pillars are indebted to one another, not independent as they ought to be). To quote:

Kratochvíl replaces Christoph Ernst who was appointed vice-president for Directorate General Legal and International Affairs at the European Patent Office (EPO).

He will begin his tenure on 1 January 2019 for a term of three years. Until then, he will continue in his role as deputy chairman of the council. He will remain president of the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic.


The following new report from WIPR (World Intellectual Property Review) quotes some propaganda from the 'IP' [sic] 'industry' [sic] in the Czech Republic.

Michal Havlik, partner at Všetečka Zelený Å vorčík Kalenský & Partners in Prague, Czech Republic, said that Kratochvíl has a “superb” background and, with more than 30 years of day-to-day experience with patents, he has the technical and legal expertise necessary for the role.

Kratochvíl is currently serving as deputy chairman of the AC, and he is also the president of the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic. He will begin his three-year tenure as chairman on January 1, 2019.

Havlik said: “Under his leadership, the appellate body of the Czech Industrial Property Office has developed case law that carefully balances the rights [sic] of IP [sic] owners [sic] and legitimate interests of other stakeholders in the IP [sic] system.”


Will Kratochvíl speak about the decline in patent quality (let alone acknowledge the issue)? Time will tell, but we doubt it. He will probably be another Ernst, stonewalling for Battistelli and Campinos. Why not just abolish the European Patent Organisation and quit pretending that the Office has some form of oversight? The same goes for ILO. As it stands at present, the management of the Office does anything it wants. The rest of just a dog and pony show.

Recent Techrights' Posts

GNOME Foundation's Microsoft Developer Account
"Lately they're teaming up with Mozilla to eliminate middle click paste - something which I use continuously."
Links 10/01/2026: "Abolish ICE or GTFO", Calls to Ban X/Twitter From Apple/Google App Stores (or Implement National Blocks) Over MElon Turning It Into Non-consensual Deepfake Porn Site
Links for the day
EPO People Power - Part XXX - New Year Starts, Cocainegate Still Discussed a Lot, António Campinos Desperate for Distraction From It
Why the sudden change or 'generosity'? [...] Actual cocaine addicts caused nervous breakdowns among sober people
IBM and Microsoft Hiding Layoffs in Similar, Overlapping Ways
Performance Improvement Plans aplenty
IBM is a Cancer That Attaches Itself to Everything
Red Hat should have remained an independent company
 
Monday, January 12, Red Hat Layoffs Allegedly Planned
We'll update this post or follow up if or when we get more information
Slop Still Becoming Rare as Another Week Ends
Generally speaking, calm and quiet is desirable, it's what we hope for (an absence of slop, a lack of need to keep abreast of it, ultimately)
Links 10/01/2026: Iran Offline, Venezuelans Decry Civilian Casualties
Links for the day
GAFAM Wants War
Go war! Go bailouts! Go debt! Go Wall Street!
GNU/Linux and Chromebooks Rose to Almost 10% in Haiti
What's noteworthy is that this month GNU/Linux is measured at around 8% and ChromeOS at about 2%
2026 Might be the Year Microsoft Replaces Layoffs With Mass Firings (No Severance Payments to Dismissed Staff)
It's hard to "see" PIPs unless insiders blow the whistle
Links 10/01/2026: STV Layoffs (Scottish TV), “CBS Evening News” in Chaos (Culls and Censorship by the US Regime)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, January 09, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, January 09, 2026
Gemini Links 10/01/2026: Blackout, E-Waste, and Secondary Smartphone
Links for the day
Plot Twist: Microsoft MSN Relays Articles Hinting at or Pointing to Mass Layoffs Soon, Other Gossip
the narrative from Microsoft's "PR bunny" (Shaw) is showing mold already
Links 09/01/2026: Google and Character.AI Implicitly Accept Chatbots Kill Kids and GLP-1 ‘Slimming Pens’ Turn Out to be a Lot Worse Than Advertised
Links for the day
'Vibe Coding' is Not "AI", It's a Sewer, It is Junk
Linus Torvalds was wrong. 'Vibe coding' isn't good for anything.
GNU/Linux May be Approaching 10% "Market Share" in Montenegro
The surge started around 2021
At IBM, "Employee Reviews" (or Appraisals in the UK) Are a "Trojan Horse" for RAs (Mass Layoffs), a Waste of Time
comments from IBMer serve to suggest that appraisals can be precursors
Links 09/01/2026: Technical Blogging Lessons Learned and Google's Gmail Getting a Lot Worse
Links for the day
More IBM Layoffs in India
If IBM cannot afford to retain workers in India, then something is truly "out of control" at IBM
Escaping GAFAM Colonialism Requires Homegrown Free Software
GNU/Linux now measured at 3% in Zambia
Dr. Richard Stallman Has Done No Harm to the GNU Project or the FSF (He Had Benefited Both, Always, Even After the Attacks on Him Began)
Some people try to prevent Dr. Stallman from speaking or having a platform where many people can hear him
GNU/Linux at 4% in Saudi Arabia, Says statCounter
Some years ago Windows fell to a "market share" of just 11% there
Microsoft Isn't Denying the Mass Layoffs
Still silence from Microsoft
In Western Africa GNU/Linux Flirts With 5% Market Share
there's a gradual increase in GNU/Linux usage there
Gemini Links 09/01/2026: Pro1 X Repair and the Mercury Protocol
Links for the day
Links 09/01/2026: Cambodia and China Extradition, "NATO’s High-risk Patrols Near Ukraine"
Links for the day
No, Microsoft Did Not Deny the Q1 Mass Layoffs (Microsoft Can Delay These)
Maybe they disperse or delay the layoffs (changing plans), but the layoffs are going to happen
Only One Person in Charge of Fedora is Not IBM Staff
This is not a community project, it's just a way for IBM to onboard unpaid volunteers
This Is Not a Drill, GNU/Linux is Really Going 'Mainstream' on Laptops (and Desktops)
It is important to explain to people software freedom
IBM Albany Layoffs
not only did many in the site lose their job; there's more to come "and likely another one in February" (weeks from now)
EPO Workers' Industrial Action to Include Many Strikes, to Last Several Months
In some ways, The Hague and Bavaria are becoming almost indistinguishable from Moscow
EPO People Power - Part XXIX - Getting DER SPIEGEL, FAZ, Deutschlandfunk and Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) to Cover EPO Scandals
We kindly ask our readers to contact their local media and urge it to cover the scandals
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, January 08, 2026
IRC logs for Thursday, January 08, 2026
Gemini Links 08/01/2026: "New Year, Old Plans" and Alex's "Butlerian Jihad"
Links for the day
LLM Slop About "Linux" Scarce and of Very Low Quality
At this rate, we reckon there may be one (or zero) per day by year's end
IBM's "Forever Layoffs" (to Bypass Warnings or Notices as Required by WARN Act)
There is a bunch of speculations about when the next "major round" of RAs will be
Attempts to Undermine This Site's Latest Series Using Intimidation, Threats, and Presumptuous Accusations
threatening language is less effective when everyone is an alibi
Links 08/01/2026: "Golden Smartphone" Scam and Riseup Account Issues
Links for the day
Links 08/01/2026: Possible "Collapse of NATO Over Greenland"; Journalistic Malpractice and "US Voters Hate Slop"
Links for the day
EPO People Power - Part XXVIII - A Sensitive Issue for Germany and The Netherlands
If Germans who read this series can communicate this to public officials or to their media, maybe they can strike a nerve and get the ball rolling
Age Discrimination at IBM Discussed Amid Mass Layoffs (Especially in the United States)
Workers are anxious. Are they next to face the axe?
Gemini Links 08/01/2026: Potentiometer Calculator, Power Outages, Why You Should Abandon Discord for IRC (e.g. Ergo), and Formatting Gopher Posts
Links for the day
Links 08/01/2026: More Software Patents Squashed, White House Repeats Misinformation From the Kremlin
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, January 07, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, January 07, 2026