Bonum Certa Men Certa

Virtual Injustice -- Part 8: A Well-Connected 'IP' Maximalist

Previously in the series:

  1. Virtual Injustice -- Part 1: António's Increasingly Wonky Legal Fudge Factory
  2. Virtual Injustice -- Part 2: The ViCo Oral Proceedings of 28 May 2021
  3. Virtual Injustice -- Part 3: All the President's Men…
  4. Virtual Injustice -- Part 4: Mihály Ficsor, the EPO's Hungarian “Fixer”
  5. Virtual Injustice -- Part 5: Benoît's “Friends” in Budapest
  6. Virtual Injustice -- Part 6: Best Buddies With António
  7. Virtual Injustice -- Part 7: Musical Chairs and Revolving Doors


swpats-rms
Ad hominem attack on RMS [PPT] by Mihály Ficsor at a WIPO seminar held in Romania in 2010.



Summary: The EPO's lobbying for European software patents goes all the way to the top, including António Campinos and his circle

Looking back at Ficsor's career since he left the HIPO in 2016, it seems fair to say that he has become a "job-hopper".



But all things considered he hasn't done too badly for himself so far.

As a matter of fact, in recent years he has managed to secure two well-remunerated public sector jobs: first of all at the EUIPO in March 2017 and subsequently at the EPO in March 2020.

Who says that a rolling stone gathers no moss?

"Ficsor's job-hopping adventures have undoubtedly been facilitated by his close connections with António Campinos."Of course it helps to have the right connections.

Ficsor's job-hopping adventures have undoubtedly been facilitated by his close connections with António Campinos.

As we have seen these connections go back to the days when Ficsor chaired the Administrative Board of the EU trademark agency OHIM/EUIPO between 2011 and 2016, at the same time that Campinos headed the agency.

Ficsor's latest position at the EPO falls short of the "gold medal" typically dished out to former Administrative Council members in the form of a Vice-President sinecure.

One possible explanation here is the question of political support from the candidate's home country which is normally required for an appointment as a Vice-President. Ficsor may have lacked this support if – as has been speculated – he fell out of favour with the Orban government in Hungary.

In any case, by March 2020, Campinos had already dished out all of the available Vice-President vacancies to his buddies, so Ficsor had to make do with the "consolation prize" of a Principal Director's position.

"In any case, by March 2020, Campinos had already dished out all of the available Vice-President vacancies to his buddies, so Ficsor had to make do with the "consolation prize" of a Principal Director's position."In contrast to Vice-Presidents whose appointments require political support and have to be approved by the Administrative Council, EPO Principal Directors can easily be slipped in "via the back-door" because all their appointment requires is the approval of the EPO President, in this case Ficsor's old buddy Campinos.

Even if he didn't make the top grade as Vice-President, Mihály is unlikely to complain about his EPO appointment and the level of remuneration which he currently enjoys.

OECD statistics indicate that salaries in Hungary are far below the OECD average. In the public sector, high-end salaries are reported to be around HUF 855.000 per month which is approximately EUR 2.500 Euro at current conversion rates.

Based on those figures, Ficsor's tax-free salary as a senior manager at the EPO is estimated to be a multiple of somewhere between eight and ten times of his take-home pay as a top-ranking official back home in Hungary.

Apart from that, it shouldn't be forgotten that he is still young enough to make a bid for a Vice-President position when his current boss Christoph Ernst – who is approaching 70 – finally retires.

Ernst-Requena-Duo
Ficsor's EPO "handlers": Gilles Requena and Vice-President Christoph Ernst.



Ficsor clearly knows what side his bread is buttered on. He is a "safe pair of hands" who can be counted on to do the bidding of his "handlers", Vice-President Christoph Ernst and Chief International and Legal Officer, Gilles Requena.

Before wrapping up, it is worth drawing attention to a point which should be of interest to readers of Techrights.

"Based on those figures, Ficsor's tax-free salary as a senior manager at the EPO is estimated to be a multiple of somewhere between eight and ten times of his take-home pay as a top-ranking official back home in Hungary."Ficsor is reputed to be an IP maximalist and the public record confirms that he has been an enthusiastic and vociferous advocate of "software patents" in the past.

Back in 2010 he was a guest speaker at a "Sub-regional Seminar on the Protection of Computer Software and Databases" which took place in Mangalia, Romania, from 25 ro 27 August. The seminar was organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Romanian Copyright Office (ORDA), and the Romanian State Office for Inventions and Trademarks (OSIM).

In his capacity as chairman of the Central and Eastern European Copyright Alliance (CEECA), delivered a lecture on "The International Intellectual Property Protection of Software".

pirate-slide
In a lecture delivered in 2010, Ficsor did his best to misrepresent and ridicule critics of "software patents".



The slides from this lecture which can be accessed via the WIPO's official website reveal that on that occasion Ficsor did his best to misrepresent and ridicule critics of "software patents". In particular, he indulged in a cynical ad hominem attack on Richard Stallman.

"In particular, he indulged in a cynical ad hominem attack on Richard Stallman."It's safe to say that Mihály Zoltán Ficsor is a worthy addition to Team Campinos and that he seems to be well-qualified to act as an overseer of the operations of António's legal fudge factory.

In the next part we will take a look at Ficsor's assistant in case no. G 1/21, the EPO's Nordic Ice-Queen, Heli Pihlajamaa.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft Uses LLM Slop to Defraud (or Rob) Shareholders
Microsoft is basically defrauding its shareholders by LLM slop
 
The Company Run by Former (and Last Proper) Red Hat CEO, Promoting Microsoft Mono, Faces Shock as Senior Partner Jailed for 33 Sexual Offenses Including Pedophilia
"As reported by The Oxford Mail in April 2025, the offenses include rape, sexual assault, engaging in non-penetrative activity with a child, and more."
Microsoft Lost 29% of Windows Users, Based on Microsoft, Now Come Massive Layoffs
Microsoft collapse is today
Slopwatch: Google Serves to People Linux Slop and Linux FUD (Made by Bots)
"Slopwatch" finds it difficult to ignore Google's role in encouraging LLM slop
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 01, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 01, 2025
"Wayland People" Behave Like the Googles and Microsofts of This World
Published yesterday by Igor Ljubuncic
Gemini Links 02/07/2025: Arch Linux and Fulfillment in Gemini
Links for the day
Links 01/07/2025: "Independence Day in Taiwan", Bounties on Software Patents
Links for the day
What Happens When Your Law Firm is Preoccupied With Harassing and Trying to Extort a Humble Couple in Manchester, Even on Behalf of Violent Microsoft Staff From Another Continent
It's good to see that law firms which operate in bad faith are perishing
Lawyer X, Law Firm X and Elon Musk's X: scandals linked by Old Xaverian
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 01/07/2025: Distraction-Free Writing and Hytale Mismanagement
Links for the day
Links 01/07/2025: "Beauty of Blogging" and "Etiquette of Collapse"
Links for the day
The Web is a Dead End
We need to adopt alternatives
When Words Lose Their Intended Meaning
examples of words that, at least in the technical spheres, don't mean what they sound like
People Who Disagree With You on Technical Matters May or May Not Agree With You on Political Things (But Usually They Do)
What bothers me a great deal is seeing left-leaning people accusing other left-leaning people of being "nazis"
"Too Much Choice" and "Too Many Programming Languages"
What IBM and its apologists aim for was attempted in the 1930s and it failed
Microsoft Lost 400,000,000 Windows Users, According to Microsoft
more people adopt smaller computers and many people replace Windows with GNU/Linux, as they don't really need a new computer
The "Davos Effect": Tarnishing the Reputation of Places Not by Overtourism But by Oligarch Infestation
The last Venice needs is an affiliation with Venetian oligarchs
Half a Year Gone, What's to Come Next
In the second half of 2025 we expect to be done with the Microsoft SLAPPs
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 30, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, June 30, 2025
People at the Very Top of Microsoft Know How Bad Things Really Are
There's no product that can replace the former profitability of Windows licensing and stuff that went on top of Windows
Gemini Links 01/07/2025: Mid Year and a Tour of Old Languages
Links for the day
EPO Presentation Bemoans Misuse of Slop in Decision-Making on Patents and in Classification (Which is Likely Illegal Too)
We habitually mention failed use cases of LLMs on the Web
Mass Layoffs at Microsoft Confirmed, "XBox Hardware Is Dead"
It's possible that over 20% of the staff will be laid off
Links 30/06/2025: Kyrgyzstan vs Media Freedom, Dalai Lama Succession
Links for the day
Gemini Links 30/06/2025: Backend Programs in Gemini and Dynamic Content Without The Scripting
Links for the day
Links 30/06/2025: Zuckerberg’s Tax-Evading Scheme Harms Kids, US Copyright Office Lacks Leadership
Links for the day
Microsoft Isn't Laying Off Tens of Thousands to 'Invest' in Slop ('Hey Hi'), It's Laying Off Tens of Thousands Because It's Running Out of Money (and Willing Lenders)
the layoffs are a sign of the business failing, not "hey hi" (whatever that is) replacing staff
Intel Lays Off 20% of Its Workforce, Microsoft is Doing the Same This Year
Like a yoyo, whatever goes up will come back down
Microsoft XBox Layoffs: Almost 2,000 Layoffs Became "Over 2,000"? (Over 20% of the Staff)
over 20% of staff will be let go, not counting staff that leaves voluntarily
GNU/Linux Rises to New Highs in Angola, Africa in General is Abandoning Windows
Western media barely covers Microsoft layoffs in Africa, but in recent years Microsoft culled the workforce and even shut down entire operations
Summer Plans in Techrights and Elsewhere
massive layoffs at Microsoft
Destination Geminispace (in the Age of LLM Slop and Slop Images That Infest the Web and Social Control Media)
Geminispace isn't vast, but at least it is - on average - a lot "cleaner"
GNU/Linux Growing in Sierra Leone This Year
Based on what statCounter is seeing, this year there are more and more people there who adopt GNU/Linux
Serial Sloppers Gonna Slop
More sites out there ought to call out the cheaters
Quartz (qz.com) is Spam and a Slopfarm
It used to be OK. Then they fired the staff.
Links 30/06/2025: US Economic Woes, Extreme Heat
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, June 29, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, June 29, 2025
Gemini Links 30/06/2025: "The AI Hype" and New AuraGem Ask
Links for the day