Summary: After protests from her staff, the public, and following layoffs too Alison Brimelow essentially quits her job as head of the European Patent Office

WILL THESE CHANGES MEAN more sanity or even less sanity for the EPO? As Glyn Moody puts it, "[the] next appointment [is] critically important." Here is the scoop:

Alison Brimelow will not seek reappointment as President of the European Patent Office when her current term expires at the end of June 2010, it was announced today. Rainer Osterwalder, Director of Media Relations at the EPO, told IAM this afternoon: "Yes, I can confirm that Alison Brimelow has informed the EPO staff today that she will not seek an extension of her contract which ends on 30 June 2010."

It's important to pressure the EPO not to appoint a person from a company that favours software patents. It's bad enough at the USPTO, which is said to be preparing an IBMer to become its next director. IBM is not against software patents. ⬆

"The European Patent Office is a Corrupt, Malicious Organisation Which Should Not Exist"

--Richard Stallman

“Staff at the European Patent Office went on strike accusing the organization of corruption: specifically, stretching the standards for patents in order to make more money.

“One of the ways that the EPO has done this is by issuing software patents in defiance of the treaty that set it up.”

--Richard Stallman