Bonum Certa Men Certa

EPO Staff Representation Again Warns About Collapse in Patent Quality (Due to Bad Management), Suggests Potential Improvements

Fish bowl



Summary: The Central Staff Committee (CSC) of the EPO shares findings about a pilot programme that attempts to correct or reverse an otherwise-worrying trend of declines in European Patent quality, noting that "negative impact on quality was soon observed, resulting in numerous WIPO complaints."

THE past few years saw several attempts to warn EPO management (clueless politicians, not technical people) that patent quality had fallen. Both Benoît Battistelli and António Campinos basically responded by attacking the messengers (e.g. in 2019 under Campinos). At the same time they rebranded illegal patents (such as European software patents) using a bunch of meaningless buzzwords, boosted in part by UN/WIPO. They awarded loads of patents that should have been rejected; and had proper procedures been put in place, the applications wouldn't have arrived either. They basically invite a whole lot of junk applications; many will be erroneously granted, causing potential legal mayhem and harming the European economy.



"They basically invite a whole lot of junk applications; many will be erroneously granted, causing potential legal mayhem and harming the European economy."The Central Staff Committee of the EPO has circulated the following paper, which is dated last Friday. "The 2018 reorganisation de-centralised tasks into small teams and demanded that Formalities Officers (FOs) diversify in several procedures," it noted. "This structure created an artificial situation of understaffing in many FO teams. Many colleagues suffered from demotivation and reported higher stress levels. The current pilot project on centralisation of international phase procedures is an initiative that can improve this situation."

"The feedback received so far is very promising," they said, for a change. "A proper evaluation of the outcome of the pilot project together with a transparent timeline and proper planning is a must. This paper gives a first overview of the perception of FOs."

Remember that this is just a pilot, this isn't what's generally happening in the whole Office.

Here's the full publication:

Zentraler Personalausschuss Central Staff Committee Le Comité Central du Personnel

Munich, 19.03.2021 sc21037cp 0.2.1/1.2.1

Centralisation of the Receiving Office (RO) and PCT Chapter II demands
Perceptions of colleagues in the pilot project



In November 2020 a pilot project to centralize the Receiving Office (RO) and PCT Chapter II (for Forms PCT/IPEA/401) was launched.

Before 2018, RO and the PCT Chapter II demands were centralized in The Hague. Many Formalities Officers (FO) working on these procedures considered this to be beneficial for their work. They predicted that there would be a possible loss in quality if the procedures were to be distributed among a large group of (partly newly trained) colleagues in all directorates and all places of employment.

Senior management ignored these warnings and changed the set-up in 2018 so that procedures were indeed decentralized. However, the negative impact on quality was soon observed, resulting in numerous WIPO complaints. One of the objectives of the centralisation pilot project has been to restore quality in the PCT procedures.

Your Staff Representation has now conducted a first survey amongst the participants of this pilot to find out how they assess the new framework under test and to see in particular its impact on quality.

At present, the pilot project includes participants in Munich and The Hague who dedicate from 20% up to 100% of their working time to centralisation. We received feedback from both Team Managers and FOs.

Setup of pilot/enrolment At the start of the pilot project, the first colleagues who applied described a cumbersome enrolment process, with last-minute changes and with candidates being put on hold. It was perceived as disorganised, with candidates being asked to take ad hoc decisions.

Knowledge consolidation Working in a pool with experienced colleagues is seen as very beneficial, allowing harmonisation. The exchange of feedback and knowledge, team cooperation and shared




experiences are valued positively. Less experienced participants see the need for additional training and for regular exchange with the experts.

Job satisfaction Participating in the pilot project contributes positively to job satisfaction. In general, colleagues are able to combine well their pilot work with their work in the directorate and they enjoy the diversification of tasks. The possibility to deepen their procedural knowledge within the pilot is also appreciated.

Colleagues working mostly 100% in the pilot report a major improvement of their wellbeing at work. They feel more comfortable and appreciated in a structure where they can focus on their procedure of expertise.

For these colleagues, the demand for diversification in the FO teams gave a feeling of loss of confidence at work and they would rather not go back to this structure.

Some colleagues report struggling to balance their work between the pilot project and the directorate.

Work distribution Prior to the pilot project, many FOs were working on RO and PCT Chapter II procedures in the directorates but the number of incoming files varied greatly per FO team. Participants to the pilot report that work distribution was inefficient and created stress among staff, which had a negative impact on quality and wellbeing.

Some colleagues were overloaded with work while others did not have enough files to build and keep up knowledge. In the pilot project, work distribution is better balanced with a reduced team of FOs dedicated to only one procedure. Within a centralized structure, balancing for leave and absences is also easier than in small FO teams with multiple procedures to cover.

Quality The feedback received is promising. The latest quality circle reveals a clear improvement in quality for these procedures. The contact people from WIPO also found it favourable to interact with a smaller team of well-trained interlocutors from the EPO.

Recommendations from participants Despite the overall positive feedback, there are still some open points and room for improvement as identified by the colleagues.These concerns have already been shared with the pilot team managers:

● Reporting criteria for colleagues working for two teams needs to be clarified. No disadvantage should arise from the new way of working. ● In view of the positive aspects of a centralized structure, some participants were wondering whether a mutual sector mailbox could also be created for the Receiving Section. Recognition of the role of experts should be re-considered (as was the case




before with the LPS). FOs appreciate and value the support provided by (senior) experts. ● Collaboration and harmonization between sectors/clusters need to be fostered. For the time being, the atmosphere is still described as competitive. ● Transparency is a must for such a pilot project. Participants are unsure about the next steps. The project has been extended until further notice. Early communication whether the project will move to a steady state is requested. A constant switch between centralisation and decentralisation of procedures should be avoided in future.

Conclusion In recent years the work of FOs has been subject to numerous changes, in the teams structure as well as in the workflow and tools. The 2018 reorganisation, which de-centralised tasks into small teams, demanded that FOs diversify in several procedures. This structure created an artificial situation of understaffing in many FO teams. Many colleagues suffered from demotivation and reported higher stress levels. The current pilot project on centralisation of international phase procedures is an initiative that can improve this situation.

Feedback so far received is very promising. A proper evaluation of the outcome of the pilot project together with a transparent timeline and proper planning is a must.

As to creating a proper framework for FOs in general, it is important that management finds a long-term strategy and acknowledges that the expertise and work of FOs contributes as much to the quality of the end-product as does the work of examiners.

A reliable structure for knowledge transfer and succession planning for procedure experts will ensure that quality is maintained and it might offer new career prospects to FOs.

The Central Staff Committee

Useful links about the vacancies: ● http://my.internal.epo.org/portal/private/epo/work/jobmarket/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/epo/intranet/work/jobmarket/vacant_positions/2020/1594312877350_formalities_officers_in_ocfd_the_hague_or_munich_ ● https://epotv.internal.epo.org/portal/recording/0394aad4-d9b8-4e00-95eb-facad59a9c7f


For the time being it remains to be seen what will happen with this pilot. We already saw some highly notorious pilots that reduced patent quality.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Using SLAPPs to Cover Up Sexual Abuse and Strangulation
The exact same legal team of the Serial Strangler from Microsoft and Garrett already has a history fighting against "metoo"
 
Turns Out LLMs for Code Don't Save Time and Don't Improve Quality
Neither legal nor useful
The Microsofters Will Have an Obligation to Compensate Us
This story isn't just about Microsoft. It's also about corruption, there are many women victims, there is abject "abuse of process", and many more scandals to be illuminated in years to come.
Reproducing at the EPO Instead of Producing Monopolies for Foreign Monopolies With Their Price-Fixing Cartels
Does the EPO recognise the need of well-educated Europeans to bear kids?
Valnet Inc. Dominates Real (Not LLM Slop) GNU/Linux Coverage in 2025
And likely in prior years, too
Free Software Foundation (FSF) Fund Raiser Goes on
Later this month we'll expose another OSI scandal
EPO Staff Representatives Issue a Warning About Staff's Health and Inadequate Care
Even the EPO's own stakeholders (money sources) are openly protesting against what the EPO became
Links 13/07/2025: Partly Assorted News From Deutsche Welle and CBC
Links for the day
Gemini Links 13/07/2025: Board Games and Battle Styles
Gemini Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 12, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, July 12, 2025
Plunder at the Second-Largest Institution in Europe
cuts, neglect, health problems, even early deaths
Links 12/07/2025: Political Developments, Attack on Opposition, Climate Actions
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/07/2025: Melodic Musings and Small Web July
Links for the day
Links 12/07/2025: Jail in China for Homoerotica, South Korea Discriminates Against Old Workers
Links for the day
If Only Everything Was Rewritten in Rust, We'd Have No More Security Issues?
Nope.
Links 12/07/2025: Birdwatching and Fake/Misleading Wall Street 'Valuation' Figures
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/07/2025: How to Avoid Writing, Apps for Android
Links for the day
EPO Staff Committee on Harassment in the Workplace
slides
Adding the Voice of Writers to UK SLAPP Reform
The journey to repair antiquated (monarchy era) laws will likely be long
EPO Takes More Money From Staff for Speculation (Pensions), Actuarial Study Explains the Impact
"The key change in this year’s Actuarial Study, due to cascading the new “risk appetite” from the financial study, is a significant increase of the total pension contribution rate of 5.7 percentage points, up to a total of 37.8%. This is driven by an unprecedented decrease in the discount rate of 105 bps down to 2.2%."
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, July 11, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, July 11, 2025
Microsoft - Like IBM - Does the "Relocation" Tricks (Start Over Elsewhere, Then Get Sacked by Microsoft)
It is a "low blow" or a "dick move"
After the Free Software Foundation's Campaign to Raise Money Let's See Campaigns to Finish Off Microsoft (Vista 11, GitHub etc.)
Microsoft is in effect collapsing
Your Publications Have No Major Impact Unless or Until You "Get Some Heat"
we're on the right track
Slopwatch: A Cause for Hope, the Hype is Dying
For about a month we showed that becoming a slopfarm - for several weeks - resulted in utter failure and ruin for BetaNews
Links 11/07/2025: Censorship Worsening, 3D Printing Success Stories, UK and France Unite Around Nukes
Links for the day
Gemini Links 11/07/2025: Zorin OS and Scriptonite Updates
Links for the day
Links 11/07/2025: Hardware, Russia, and China
Links for the day
Links 11/07/2025: Intel Collapsing and Microsoft Resorts to Bribery to Push Slop Via Obligatory Education
Links for the day
The EFF Sided With the Team That Strangles Women and Tells Women to Kill Themselves
They say that apathy and inaction are a form of a "stance"
"Nat [Friedman] and [the Serial Strangler From Microsoft] Were Always Exceptionally Close," Says Former Housemate and Colleague
Now Alex (hiding behind another name when that suits him) not only attacks women but also people who merely report what he did to women
Exemplary List of Things That Are Not Artificial Intelligence or Even Intelligence
The "age of AI" or "era of AI" or "AI revolution" mostly boils down to rebranding, just like "the cloud"
New Letter From the European Patent Office Explains How the Office Plots to Grant Many Illegal Patents, a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of 'Growth'
Open letter to Mr Rowan (VP1) and Mr Aledo Lopez (COO)
Abuse of Process
5RB is employing people who help violent men
What Microsoft's Nat Friedman and Microsoft Lunduke Have in Common
"Get in da car; No time to explain, loser"
Microsoft and IBM Don't Have Much of a Future (They Mostly Pretend at This Point)
IBM and Microsoft are in some ways alike but in many ways different
It's Not Just Twitter (or X.com) That's Dying, Microsoft's Equivalent is Dying Also
Unable to find a business model
GitHub Copilot Can Cause the Bankruptcy of GitHub to Come Sooner and GitHub to be Shut Down Just Like Skype
Some publicly available information suggests that even for each paid subscriber for plagiarism (LLM 'coding') GitHub Copilot still loses more money than it makes
Wayland is Bad for the Planet
If you use Wayland, it'll take you longer to accomplish tasks and you will consume more energy (or battery life)
Legitimising Those Who Sabotage You
Microsoft is a very malicious company
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 10, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, July 10, 2025
On Microsoft Layoffs
we might be looking at about 60,000 Microsoft layoffs since 2023
EPO Management Already Breaks Its Own Promise (Lie) on "Bringing Teams Together"
This gut-punching move happened just 2 days ago
Gemini Links 11/07/2025: Occupation of 2025 and "Old Man Yells At Soundcloud"
Links for the day
Our Lawsuits Against the 'Cancel Mob' (Ringleaders) Helped Reduce Anti-Free Software Online Abuse
That's not to say that lawsuits are the best way to handle terrible people. But that can help.