"An unreal situation"

Summary: The European Patent Office (EPO) makes a mockery of the Convention (EPC) by allegedly 'laundering' or buying the votes of the small member states to the advantage of Battistelli

"Official Dutch Government publication," a reader told us, "confirms Battistelli's influence over smaller EPC states."

From the "Bijblad bij De Industriële Eigendom," an official publication of the Dutch Patent Office (Supplement to the Intellectual Property Gazette) Issue No. 2 - April 2017 – Vol. 85:

De Administrative Council (AC) van de European Patent Organisation (EPO) kwam laatstelijk bijeen op 15 en 16 maart 2017. Ter inleiding kan worden gesteld dat de AC, nog maar één jaar nadat de AC zelf met een (unanieme) resolutie zeer concrete opdrachten meegaf aan EOB-President Battistelli, inmiddels veel terrein heeft verloren. Door zijn evidente invloed op een grote groep van kleinere landen hoeft Battistelli niet erg beducht te zijn voor de kleinere groep van grotere (kritische) octrooilanden (Zwitserland, Nederland, Duitsland, Frankrijk, Verenigd Koninkrijk, Zweden). Een onwerkelijke situatie.

Translation: "The Administrative Council (AC) of the European Patent Organization (EPO) held its latest meeting on 15 and 16 March 2017. To begin with, the AC has now lost a lot of ground, just one year after the AC itself issued very concrete instructions to EPO President Battistelli, with a (unanimous) resolution. Due his apparent influence on a large group of smaller countries, Battistelli does not have to worry about the smaller group of larger (critical) EPC states (Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Sweden). An unreal situation."

That's pretty serious.

"2018 promises to be one heck of a year at the EPO.""Summer recess agenda" said today: "Lately some rumours going on, that BB [Battistelli] and VP4 look to replace 3 of his PD's in the framework of the new DG2 re-structuration. Apparently the areas procurement, HR social dialogue and buildings are named. A new EPO era?"

VP4 is the subject of our ongoing series about Lufthansa and the EPO (we are fact-checking future parts). 2018 promises to be one heck of a year at the EPO. Can it get any worse than it already is? ⬆