WIPO and FIFA are small potatoes compared to the EPO...

Source (original): Rospatent

Summary: The latest hogwash from Team Battistelli (Pinocchio), the latest instance of software patents promotion by EPO Principal Director, and an old (decade-old) nugget of information from the Forum for Principal Directors

THE EPO has turned into an empire of lies, where the President has become virtually synonymous with Pinocchio, as we noted earlier today. The EPO not only lies a lot but also routinely breaks rules and laws (see this older tweet from October 7^th, neglecting to say that the EPO does not obey the EPC, e.g. [1, 2]). Eponia has effectively detached itself from the Rule of Law.

Pinocchio wants the world to believe that nothing is amiss at the EPO. For the third time in less than a week the EPO is promoting this lie (for the self-deluding) that EPO staff is happy. "Our Social Conference enabled internal stakeholders to play an active role in the EPO's future," it said, but it wasn't about stakeholders at all. In fact, the key stakeholders, like representatives of staff, were locked out. We'll publish more details about that (best left for another day), having published some details earlier this month and last month. Here we have the latest puff piece in the "news" section of the EPO (warning: epo.org link). "A joint statement was signed by EPO Vice President Raimund Lutz and Brazilian Industry Minister Marcos Pereira," it says, alluding to a deal with INPI (not the French one that 'took over' the EPO and perhaps stained it for good). "Under the PPH pilot," says the news [sic], "patent applicants from Europe and from Brazil will be able to request accelerated patent prosecution at the EPO or at Brazil's National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), which is expected to speed up the process and reduce costs for companies on both sides of the Atlantic."

"Pinocchio wants the world to believe that nothing is amiss at the EPO."As is often the case with these deals, the countries in question hardly have all that much at stake in the EPO. Take Cambodia for example (with zero patents at the EPO). Brazil has a massive population and not so few patents, but how many at the EPO? Not that many (relative to EU member states)...

Hogwash and marketing is what Raimund Lutz travels for.

The EPO has an affinity for Italy right now (not much of a prolific patenter either, or so we're told) and it lobbies its politicians for the UPC amid Brexit, as noted here twice last week. Now it organises events in Italy (yet another one) and a separate new announcement says that "Maria Rosa Carreras from @OEPM_es will speak about the Quality at Source project at EPOPIC," citing this new page with abstracts of talks (warning: epo.org link).

Curiously enough, based on this page at least, Grant Philpott's talk will cover software patents. He just cannot help himself, can he? We wrote about it more than a year ago. Philpott, who absolutely does not want people to know what he did for Microsoft (enough to send me threatening letters about it), is propping up software patents again. Is it him who wrote the abstract which reads "software pervades through all technologies [thus] a greater debate on the patentability of software" or maybe an assistant of his? Whatever it is, such statements are tasteless, especially taking the EPC into account.

"The EPO has an affinity for Italy right now (not much of a prolific patenter either, or so we're told) and it lobbies its politicians for the UPC amid Brexit, as noted here twice last week."Here is the full abstract, complete with the “Industry 4.0" buzzword: "The 4th Industrial Revolution - or "Industry 4.0" - is the revolution of connectivity and distributed intelligence. It is characterised by driving technologies such as The Cloud, Big Data and the Internet of Things, and by the presence of computer technologies in every aspect of our lives. The consequences for IP are potentially tremendous, and they challenge some of the fundamental concepts of the system, such as the definition of "industry" and "inventor". There will be a greater overlap and interplay between the types of rights, and as software pervades through all technologies a greater debate on the patentability of software. Patent offices will have to react to these changes, adapting their approaches. There will also be an impact on patent information and new challenges for patent searchers as a result of Industry 4.0."

As a reminder, software patents are not allowed in Europe. Why do these people keep stomping on the EPC and the rules? Do they believe they're somehow above the law and nobody will notice when they sidestep it?

Speaking of Principal Directors, someone sent us information related to them. "Today's add-on," we were told, is a "disgusting slide from something coined "Forum for Principal Directors", back in 2006. Old, but very appalling, I hate the words "fear, isolation and punishment" even when being part of question, or discussion."

Here is the inappropriate slide:

Philpott certainly used "fear, isolation and punishment" against me when he had EPO lawyers send me threatening legal letters late on a Friday night. Perhaps that's just in the EPO's culture, deeply embedded in the minds of the recruited and promoted (elevated to "Principal Director", a fancy job title, along the lines of ranks at the British Army that Philpott came from^*). These long 'hooks' of Eponia's aggressive behaviour mean that while it enjoys immunity or impunity it feels absolutely eager to intimidate even bloggers who are far away from Eponia and have nothing to do with Eponia (except they write about it pro bono). ⬆ ____ ^* Certainly not thick-skinned for one who served any military as people have, in the past, asked for their names to be removed but did not send me threatening letters in an effort to take down entire articles.