Bonum Certa Men Certa

No, Spain is Not Joining the UPC, That's Just What UPC Lobbyists Want Everyone to Believe

Weaponised, fake news, courtesy of the militant Team Battistelli

Posted one week ago: The Very Thought of UPC in the UK “is a Perfect Example of What Lobbying Can Achieve!”

EPO privatisedSummary: The aggressive lobbying campaign coordinated by self-serving opportunists and partly funded by EPO budget (even through proxies such as FTI Consulting) is proving to be fruitful, as many people out there have embraced the wrong idea that Spain intends to join the UPC and now operate on that false assumption

THE EPO discriminates against the Spanish language and the Spanish government is not interested in the UPC. That's not news. We recently wrote about some fake news about Spain, including easily-debunked claims from UPC propagandists such as IAM (paid by the EPO's PR firm and supported by the EPO to set up pro-UPC event/s). We can imagine that Spanish media already has seeded in it some puff pieces from the EPO (maybe ghostwritten), but we are not keeping abreast of publications in Spanish.



Over the past week, perhaps in an effort to pressure the UK and Germany, elements of Team UPC in or around Spain tried to stir up some propaganda again. It was despicable. We have never seen anything quite as disgusting from the US patent office or American patent lawyers. What we have here is some fake news recycled/disseminated (people cannot face-check if they cannot comprehend Spanish), sheer distortion of facts, and just about any nefarious trick from lobbyists' textbooks. Maybe if they keep repeating the lie (lobbying), then people will give up and believe it, accepting an outcome that was far-fetched to begin with.

"We recently wrote about some fake news about Spain, including easily-debunked claims from UPC propagandists such as IAM (paid by the EPO's PR firm and supported by the EPO to set up pro-UPC event/s)."Watch this tweet from this dodgy new site (no idea who's behind it, but it's SUEPO-hostile) that says "Spain edges toward unitary patent" (not true, even patently untrue). Team UPC wants us to believe we're powerless and that all nations now fall in line with its agenda; they need us to believe that the Unitary Patent is inevitable and there is no reason for anyone to fight back. It's a classic lobbying tactic that we've witnessed with attempted passage of SOPA, ACTA, TPP and so on. Don't fall for it. Don't be an easy victim.

The above article says: "Political support for the EU unitary patent system is growing in Spain, where a non-binding motion asking the government to begin talks to join has been passed."

So that's all it is? A "non-binding motion"? Watch how a mountain will grow out of this molehill, thanks to endless determination -- it not sheer desperation -- from Team UPC. Lobbying for UPC has, in our humble opinion, intensified lately because the EPO and Team UPC are growing very nervous. They know the door is closing very soon with Brexit (perhaps end of this month). For them -- it's now or never!

"Watch how a mountain will grow out of this molehill, thanks to endless determination -- it not sheer desperation -- from Team UPC."Many parallels can be found and drawn between UPC lobbying right now and what Microsoft did for OOXML about a decade ago: breaking rules, bribing the press, setting up bogus events with stacked panels and whatever else they could get their hands (or wallet) on so as to ram it down all nations' throats (for ISO approval).

"Spain is now the UPC lobbying target," a local told me. "Socialists involved..."

Well, they have been involved in this for years, so there's not much to see here.

IAM, however, greased up for UPC promotion (payments from the EPO's PR firm for it), has already spread some fake news about it and it just cannot stop. Maybe it's trying to impress Battistelli for another wad of cash.

"Debate and vote on Spain joining the EU unitary patent system in the country's Parliament tomorrow," it said last week. It's just a debate.

Josep Maria Pujals retweeted Francisco Moreno as saying something in Spanish. "If Spain decides to join the UPC," he continued, "a local division could be established in Spain working in the Spanish language..."

"IAM, however, greased up for UPC promotion (payments from the EPO's PR firm for it), has already spread some fake news about it and it just cannot stop. Maybe it's trying to impress Battistelli for another wad of cash."But "have you ever tested automated translation in Spanish? An insult to every European citizen," Benjamin Henrion told him. Yes, it will never work for Spain. Why should the Spanish language not receive priority over French and German? It makes no sense given the popularity of the Spanish language worldwide.

The lobbyists, IAM, later wrote: "Breaking News: the Spanish Parliament has voted in favour of Spain joining the EU unitary patent system."

This is a lie.

Even IAM knew it was a lie, so then came this correction: "Important to note that vote was non-binding and merely asks the government to do it. All parties voted in favour, apart from governing PP."

So the lobbyists from IAM posted a lie and never deleted it, either. Maybe they hope that this lie, retweeted by 37 people (far more than is usual for IAM), will help influence the outcome. These people from the patent microcosm heard what they wanted to hear, but not what was true. Money well spent by the EPO and its PR firm?

"So the lobbyists from IAM posted a lie and never deleted it, either."There's no UPC without the UK, as we noted in our previous post, so it's still a limbo scenario (deadlock) for the Unitary Patent either way.

Found via Team UPC (Bristows) was this recycling of bogus or misleading news about the "Committee on Economy, Industry and Competitiveness". Watch how they rephrased it. Manuel Rey-Alvite Villar wrote the headline "Spanish parliament calls on the government to join the unitary patent and UPC system" (picked up by Dr. Luke McDonagh).

See what's misleading here? The government is not voting for that, but Team UPC is just misleading people -- yet again -- with fake news, hoping to make the distortions/lies a reality. Have they no shame?

What the 'article' says does not even match the headline.

As Henrion pointed out, "Spanish parliament voting for UPC means Spanish citizens will have to appeal at the Spanish Constitutional Court https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Court_of_Spain …

"How many people fell for it? How many people passed (e.g. retweeted) such false statements and never corrected these, even once they realised these statements were misleading at best?"Contrary to some 'reports' (lobbying from Team UPC), the UPC isn't happening in Spain. But IAM will carry on with tweets like this: "Opposition PSOE has today demanded that Spain's minister for economy explains to Parliament the government's opposition to joining the UPC."

That's very different from what Team UPC blogs are saying. Consider what the Dutch team is saying in its blog. To quote: "The Spanish parliament will vote today on a non-binding motion of the socialist opposition party PSOE, which calls on the government to reconsider joining the Unitary Patent system."

Now compare this to the headline which is a quote from one side only, without even an attribution. It says "Parliament votes in favour of Spain joining Unitary Patent system"

How many people fell for it? How many people passed (e.g. retweeted) such false statements and never corrected these, even once they realised these statements were misleading at best? From what we could gather this past week, the fake news is now a sort of consensus, so British and German politician might easily be fooled/bamboozled into the idea that Spain is no longer a barrier to the UPC.

"UPC would be highly damaging to Spanish companies as the vast majority of them are small and currently not susceptible to ruinous litigation from other countries -- something that only the UPC would facilitate."Watch another new blog post of UPC lobbyists, again a selective quote that's being cast as fact: "It is detrimental to Spain to stay outside the Unitary Patent system"

This is of course an utter lie right there in the headline. First of all, Spain would not stay out of the UPC if there was no Unitary Patent to begin with. The lobbyists pretend it's inevitable, but they are liars. It's a lobbying technique. But more to the point, UPC would be highly damaging to Spanish companies as the vast majority of them are small and currently not susceptible to ruinous litigation from other countries -- something that only the UPC would facilitate.

Still believe that Spain is about to ratify the UPC? Then send me an E-mail, I can get you a discount on some Martian land and the nicer parts of the Moon. Order today and get a free oxygen bubble.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft Uses LLM Slop to Defraud (or Rob) Shareholders
Microsoft is basically defrauding its shareholders by LLM slop
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
 
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
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
Our Desktops Are Not Your Experiments, X is Not an Experiment
Breaking what already worked
Microsoft's Big Lies Regarding This Week's Mass Layoffs Have Already Begun (and They're Already Being Spread by Slopfarms)
Microsoft is the "market leader" in slop
Explaining the Full Story of SLAPPs From Microsoft Staff
For every action there is a reaction, for every attack there will be proportionate consequences
The Openwashing Shills Initiative (OSI) - Part III: IRS and Status of OSI
"They lied to the US IRS and there’s a paper trail"
IBM Red Hat's Dogmatic Fanaticism Under a Thin Veil of "Modernism"
IBM now has the audacity to paint people who don't agree as "nazis"
Microsoft's Share in Guatemala Fell From 97% to 14%
Eventually Microsoft will get stuck in a loop of layoffs, layoffs, and more layoffs
They Made Technology Scary and Taught Us That It's Innocent, Friendly, Even "Social"
Rejection of all this "apps" and "gadgets" and "Smart" (whatever that means!) status quo isn't a rejection of society
The Media is Under Attacks Partly Because There's Little Other (Remaining) Press to Speak in Its Defence
The biggest danger here is that when there's very little press or no "opposition media" left it becomes even easier to crush critics because there aren't many people left to speak about the matter
If Your Web Site is Run by Bots, Eventually Nobody Will 'Read' It Except Bots (People Don't Want to Read Slop)
Eventually people learn from mistakes
Links 29/06/2025: Microsoft Releases False/Fake Benchmarks, "Google Wants You to Watch Ads or Take Surveys to Read Articles"
Links for the day
Links 29/06/2025: Data Breaches and Online Censorship
Links for the day
Gemini Links 29/06/2025: "The Price Of Eggs" and Gemini 3D Tic Tac Toe
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, June 28, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, June 28, 2025