Bonum Certa Men Certa

In Protest of IP Kat No Longer Covering EPO Abuses, Märpel Rises in “R.I.P. Kat”

Cat silhouette



Summary: New blog/blogger attempts to document the "Battistelli years" at the European Patent Office (EPO)

"Merpel" is not a person but a collective sort of pseudonym shared among several writers at IP Kat (some of whom I had great pleasure communicating with). As readers of ours are aware/already know of, there were changes in IP Kat in recent years. The founder left, Bristows became very prominent at IP Kat, CIPA's chief took a role in IP Kat (making the UPC agenda a high priority) and so on.



I don't like to bash IP Kat because they used to do some good work and were largely respectful towards EPO staff. Then they started censoring my comments (on numerous occasions), even when I defended myself from libelous comments. I'm fine with free speech, but I also believe in the right to respond to false accusations. That's what free speech is all about and IP Kat ought to understand that. IP Kat's censorship got a lot worse some months ago when it 'zapped' an entire comments thread (about 40 comments in total) about Mr. Campinos. It makes the blog somewhat of a 'gatekeeper' (denying access to particular information).

"IP Kat's censorship got a lot worse some months ago when it 'zapped' an entire comments thread (about 40 comments in total) about Mr. Campinos."In short, IP Kat isn't what it used to be. The people there are different, so the steering/agenda is different. Some people really miss the 'old' IP Kat. The 'old' IP Kat was trying to fix the EPO; today's EPO tries to almost cover up or ignore the scandals, hoping that turning a blind eye to them would make the Office look better and usher in patent maximalism, UPC, etc.

EPO insiders aren't particularly happy about it. A new blog, Merpel renamed, came into existence earlier this month. Some readers took note of it; "There is a new blog about the European Patent Office," one person told us. "Maybe you are interested?"

Reviewing the blog as a whole, so far there have been only three posts there, starting with this opening message: "For a few years, a cat called Merpel wrote news about Eponia... but then on 10.3.2017 it was curtains for Merpel. Can we restart that space of discussions and exchanges? I don't have the talent or the humour of Merpel but maybe I can try."

"In short, IP Kat isn't what it used to be."A lot of things changed after the EPO sanctioned/blocked IP Kat; we don't know all the details about it, but IP Kat has not been the same since. It's a retaliatory tactic -- a hallmark of the Battistelli regime. They had done the same to me.

Taking stock of the posts predating the self-censorship (in chronological order), the blogger says: "This blog is in deference to the old Merpel. However, to avoid the confusion between the new and the old Merpel, this cat shall write her name the Munich way: Märpel."

The latest post is the most detailed one. Titled "The Battistelli years", it starts as follows:

Märpel has a taste for history. She believes that the explanation to present events lies in the past, because in Eponia who controls the past controls the future. Keep this page in your bookmarks, as Märpel shall come back to it in the future.

President Battistelli took his functions in mid 2010. What are the main events of the past years? The suepo.org site has a nice archive, Märpel looked at the year 2011-2017.


"Unless rebutted, these lies might stick and future generations might never know what happened under Battistelli (revisionism, victim-blaming, deletionism)."Blogs come and go all the time. There used to be blogs about EPO abuses that were shut down several years ago (our only regret is that we did not make a complete backup of those). We shall see if Märpel has 9 lives...

The EPO is trying to change the narrative; it's spending a fortune on paid-for 'articles', a glossy Gazette that's full of lies, paid-for 'studies' etc. Unless rebutted, these lies might stick and future generations might never know what happened under Battistelli (revisionism, victim-blaming, deletionism).

Recent Techrights' Posts

Preparations for Our 19th Anniversary Have Already Begun
When we get back we'll probably sort out some balloons and venue for the next party
Pleased After 2 Years With team.blue
Moving from a Content Management System (CMS, dynamic) to a Static Site Generator (SSG) was a wise decision that made life so much easier
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is Being Attacked by Organisations Jealous of Its Principled Stance and Longevity
Nobody is perfect, but imperfection does not instantaneously imply sinister intent
Many Microsoft "Assets" Are Fabricated Baloney (to Game the Numbers)
At times it seems like what we deal with are many weak patents (on algorithms), valuations or speculations based on hype ("hey hi"), and stocks held by Microsoft and its own staff
"Internal Changes at Red Hat / IBM"
It seems like quite a few people are leaving
Confirmed in French Media: Mass Layoffs (10% Culled) in Microsoft France
Now some reports in French
Microsoft in Freefall in Finland
Can Finland eradicate Windows from all its infrastructure, including core operations that are sensitive to sabotage by cracking?
Google's Chrome Passes 70% and Web Standards Are Dying
The Web is quickly becoming devoid of any standards
Slopwatch: Plagiarism and Ponzi Scheme, Bubble About to Burst Entirely, Admits Goldman Sachs
the hype that Google News and The Register MS actively participate and profit from
The Register MS Says "AI Web Crawlers Are Destroying Websites", So Why Does The Register MS Help 'AI' Companies? (Spoiler: Money)
People need to call out The Register MS on its hypocrisy
 
Links 03/09/2025: Salesforce's Latest Mass Layoffs, 93% in Large Poll at The Register MS Say UK Government Should Dump Microsoft
Links for the day
If You Reject the Google Verdict in the US, Then You Should Also Reject the "Modern" Web (Do Something About It)
Gemini Protocol is still open; it cannot be hijacked or subverted because it's frozen by design and by intention
Open Source Initiative IRS Filing: Almost All the Money is Corporate, Stefano Maffuli (Executive Director) Takes About a Quarter of That Money for Openwashing of "AI" Ponzi Scheme
OSI is currently little but a PR/marketing agency of Microsoft
Many People Are "Leaving" Red Hat, Even High-Level Managers
Something is definitely going on at Red Hat
Techrights Has Been Subjected to Calls of Violence (and Death Threats), It Never Condoned Violence
I have no sympathy for people who call violence "free speech" and then get in trouble
Condoning Violent Behaviour and "Free Speech"
perhaps Microsoft Lunduke lost touch with what constitutes violence
Takeaway From the Google Verdict: GAFAM Has Too Much Control (Even Over the US Government and Courts With Government Appointees)
Many people feel disappointed but hardly surprised by the verdict
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) Turns 40 in One Month
As noted a few days ago, several times in fact, many people now recognise the importance of the FSF's mission, even if most people don't know what the FSF is
"Voluntary" Layoffs at Microsoft (to Game the Numbers, Sugar-Coating a Crisis)
"Employees interested have until the end of October to volunteer."
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, September 02, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, September 02, 2025
Links 02/09/2025: Oligarch Tech and Text Encoding Concerns in Ada
Links for the day
"People on LinkedIn Saying That They've Left Red Hat."
We already saw signs of it a month ago and named some of the people
Gone With the BRICs (or BRICS): "Linux 8" in Cuba
GAFAM must be worried
Telecompaper Reports Microsoft to Reduce the Workforce by Another 10% (in France)
Imagine what this will do to staff's morale
India is Back to Windows 8 (Market Share Down to 8%) as Android Soars to a New Record High
For Microsoft, India is a runaway market
Links 02/09/2025: SCO Summit and Russia Suspected Of Jamming GPS
Links for the day
Gemini Links 02/09/2025: Mediterranean Marriage and Staying Connected at 35,000 Feet
Links for the day
Slopfarms Already Peaked, They Will Die When Slop Companies Run Out of Money to Borrow
slopfarms will lack an actual "engine"
Links 02/09/2025: Attacks on Unions, Microsoft TCO, and DDoSing a Growing Problem
Links for the day
Why We Publish Information About the SLAPPs (But Not About the Legal Process), an Abuse of Process by Americans Trying to Silence Critics of Their Employer, Microsoft
It doesn't take thousands of pages to explain something simple
Internet Relay Chat Didn't Fall Off a Cliff
IRC will turn 40 in less than 3 years from now
The UEFI 9/11 - Part V - This is Not a Drill (Disable "SecureBoot" Now)
A "9/11" Coming
There's No Obligation to Speak to Anybody
The very fact that "bkuhn" is till spending time in social control media says a lot about his poor judgment
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, September 01, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, September 01, 2025
Microsoft Trying to Force People to Resign (Amid Mass Layoffs) a Strategy That Takes Its Toll
Microsoft seems to be circling down the drain and the "final flush" will be the moment the "hey hi" (AI) bubble implodes completely
Google Simply Cannot Be Trusted
Only fools would trust GAFAM
Admission That a Third Party (or Parties) Funds the SLAPPs Against Techrights
This can end up costing them over a million dollars
Modifying and Writing One's Own Computer Programs is Not a Crime (or: Google Proves That Stallman Was Right)
We're generally gratified to see so many positive mentions of him
Why We Stopped Publishing Videos (for Now)
We'll probably get back to videos one day, but it's hard to say when or to what extent
What Animal Rights Activism Teaches Us About Sympathy and Focus
It's possible to believe that the planet is warming, that we must do something about it, and still eat eggs and butter
When You Turn Web Sites About Tech Into Political Sites
A lot of people fall into the trap of catering only for particular groups
Gemini Links 02/09/2025: ROOPHLOCH 2025 and Lagrange 1.19 Released
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: News Corp. WSJ and A Month With NixOS
Links for the day
“Sideloading” Never Killed Anybody
There are many online discussions this week about the misnomer "sideloading"
Slopwatch: Google News as FUD Vector Against Linux and Plagiarism Enhancer, Serial Slopper (SS) Uses LLMs to Googlebomb "Linux"
Slop destroys the Web not just by screwing with search engines and helping plagiarists. It's also responsible for de facto DDoS attacks...
Links 01/09/2025: "Attacks on Science" and China's "Soft Power" Grows
Links for the day
Links 01/09/2025: Fresh Backlash Against Slop and "Norway’s Electricity Crisis is About to Hit Britain"
Links for the day
Writing and Coding Isn't Always Enough
Last year we had to assume a role we didn't have before: litigants
Links 01/09/2025: Catching Up (Mostly via Deutsche Welle), "Windows TCO" Effect in UK
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: Linguistic Barriers and "Web 1.0 Hosting"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 31, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 31, 2025
Autumn Has Come
Autumn should be exciting in all sorts of ways; it'll also mark our anniversary
The UEFI 9/11 - Part IV - External Interference
They all seem to be playing a role in crushing Software Freedom and self-determination for users