Vice President of the European Patent Office (EPO) Complains That Techrights Gives Visibility to Legal and Technical Issues at the EPO
"Follow-up on enquiries relating to Dir. 1218 and 1001"
Comparisons between the Kremlin and the EPO seem increasingly apt (the EPO even outsourced some work to Minsk).
Freedom of the press isn't tolerated, remaining media coverage is controlled - and usually bribed for - by the dictators etc. People literally fall out of windows (yes, in EPO also).
Last month the staff of the EPO saw a couple of letters published [1, 2] about the minions of António Campinos - including one who shamelessly promotes and forces staff to grant European software patents - i.e. patents which are both illegal and undesirable.
A Vice President of the European Patent Office, instead of answering or dealing with the substance of the letters, simply complained about those who raised those legitimate concerns, which "resonate strongly with our colleagues," according to the Central Staff Committee, "and many are looking forward to a timely and meaningful response from the administration on the substance."
The Central Staff Committee sent the following message to staff earlier this month: "On 12 June 2025, the Central Staff Committee (CSC) issued a letter to Dir. 1218 and a letter to Dir. 1001. Among the addressed topics are: re-allocation of files, transparency on file distribution, internal "quality" group, part-time work, parental leave. On 17 June 2025, Mr Rowan (VP1) formally replied by open letter. In this follow-up letter to Mr Rowan (VP1), the Central Staff Committee (CSC) stresses that the issues raised in the letters resonate strongly with our colleagues and many are looking forward to a timely and meaningful response from the administration on the substance."
Rowan's message, trying to shield his overpaid colleagues, said:
European Patent Office
Postbus 5818
2280 HV Rijswijk
NetherlandsPatent Granting Process
Steve Rowan
Vice-PresidentTel +31 (0)70 340 - 2000
srowan@epo.orgDate: 17.06.2025
European Patent Office | 2280 HV RIJSWIJK | NETHERLANDS
Mr Derek Kelly
Chair of the Central Staff CommitteeVia email only: centralstcom@epo.org
Your letters of 10 June 2025
Dear Chair,
We refer to the two letters, dated 10 June, sent by the Central Staff Committee to two Directors in DG1. Both letters were published on the intranet on 12 June and on the same day they were reproduced on a specific internet site reaching even broader audience, outside the EPO.
Whilst the Office supports open expression and values the role of staff representation, it has also stressed on previous occasions that the right to voice different views needs to be exercised responsibly. The Office notes that public targeting of staff is not an appropriate means to draw the management’s attention on any operational or HR matters; all the more since for years now there are so many open channels between the staff representation and the administration. Specifically, for matters related to PGP both myself as Vice-President, and Mr Angel Aledo Lopez, as our Chief Operation Officer, would have been open to hear directly any concerns from your side, provide replies and take any action where necessary. Regrettably this was not done.
We have a shared responsibility to ensure that dialogue remains grounded on mutual respect, fairness, and trust. These two letters run counter to the constructive spirit and harm the good communication we built up together over recent years. The Office would ask the CSC to reflect on the approach and tone of these letters so that we can move forward once again in a constructive dialogue.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Rowan
Vice-President DG 1
Patent Granting Process
Such a shallow letter could be typed up - perhaps by a fast-typing person (they have typists or PAs) - in less than 5 minutes (and match the same quality level). It took him nearly a week to send this letter!
When he talks about "outside the EPO" he means Techrights.
This is the reply sent some time later:
European Patent Office
80298 Munich
GermanyCentral Staff Committee
Comité central du personnel
Zentraler PersonalausschussTel. +49 -89- 2399 - 2120
+49 -170- 2251 - 7271centralSTCOM@epo.org
Reference: sc25040cl
Date: 30.06.2025
European Patent Office | 80298 MUNICH | GERMANY
Mr Steven Rowan
Vice President of the EPO
The Hague Main – Room M26A20In cc. Mr. Angel Aledo Lopez, COO
Open letter
Reply by the CSC to your letter dated 17 June 2025 (link)
Dear VP1, dear Steve,
Thank you for your message and for sharing the Office’s perspective regarding the two letters issued by the Central Staff Committee (CSC) on 10 June and published on the EPO Intranet and in MS Teams channels.1
We share your view that constructive dialogue grounded in mutual respect and trust is essential. The letters voice concerns expressed by our colleagues in a transparent and fact-based manner. Staff representatives have a responsibility - in line with our mandate to “provide a channel for the expression of opinion by the staff” (Article 34(2) ServRegs) - to bring to light issues that affect the well-being, motivation, and long-term sustainability of the organisation, especially when repeated attempts to raise such issues through existing channels have not yielded sufficient response or tangible improvements.
The tone and content are factual and focused on structural concerns. We believe that openness in communication can be a catalyst for accountability and progress.
On a general note, the CSC has repeatedly expressed its view that social dialogue at the Office is not functioning properly - not only with regard to the frequency and format of interactions, but also due to the limited space given for genuine and meaningful exchange. Over the past years, the CSC has
____
1 The CSC had no involvement whatsoever in, and bears no responsibility for, the reproduction of these letters on the specific internet site outside the EPO to which you refer.
proposed a range of measures to improve the situation, including regular in- person meetings with the GCC or local site management, meetings with the President and directors, as well as personal exchange with colleagues responsible for the social dialogue framework. We continue to believe that such formats would foster mutual understanding and a more collaborative and constructive climate.
We take note of your readiness, and that of the COO, Mr Aledo Lopez, to engage directly on matters relating to PGP. We believe that direct and open exchanges are essential to addressing staff concerns effectively and constructively.
In the meantime, we would welcome a response to the points raised in the two open letters. From the feedback we have received, it is apparent that the issues raised resonate strongly with our colleagues and many are looking forward to a timely and meaningful response from the administration on the substance.
We remain committed to dialogue and to working towards solutions that benefit both the staff and the Office as a whole.
Kind regards,
Derek Kelly
Chair of the Central Staff Committee
9 days have passed and it is not clear if Rowan bothered following up (or offering actual substance in a substantial letter, rather than finger-pointing at Techrights and the staff representation). █