Bonum Certa Men Certa

IAM is Still Working for Benoît Battistelli and His Toxic Agenda

Updates on those "unitary" patents (which the EPO had said would start in 2016) and UPC are getting laughable, citing "tweets" from members of Team UPC (like Josep Maria Pujals), in turn/later to be cited by more "tweets", creating another "echo chamber" effect (led by IAM, as before)

German and English UPC



Summary: The indefinitely-stalled (likely dead) UPC is brought up again based on mere rumours and speculations, soon to be amplified (as usual) by Team UPC and Team Battistelli

Team Battistelli is still at the EPO, which means that the new President, António Campinos, still interacts with toxic individuals like Bergot, Lutz and Topić. It isn't exactly a soothing mental image, is it?

“UPC: still 24 countries without a constitutional complaint...”
      --Benjamin Henrion (FFII)
The aggressive push for UPC will likely carry on, even if that means breaking laws, violating constitutions, corrupting politicians and so on. We need to watch very closely whatever goes on as much of it is happening behind the scenes. As things stand at the moment, the UPC is unconstitutional and it is dead. It cannot be ratified in Germany, it is definitely not compatible with Brexit (so Britain cannot ever participate) and UPC boosters (litigation lawyers) have attempted to brush under the carpet the latest Constitutional defeat for the UPC. So far it always loses Constitutional challenges, of which there have been very few. As Benjamin Henrion (FFII) put it today, "UPC: still 24 countries without a constitutional complaint..."

"So now they have yet another headache, adding to a total of about half a dozen critical abstacles for the UPC."Here is what a UPC booster noted today: "From comments section - fair question, less fair conclusion: „Was this not foreseeable up-front? Probably the wish of having a training centre for UPC judges in Budapest muffled any contrary thoughts.“" (this links to EPLAW)

So now they have yet another headache, adding to a total of about half a dozen critical abstacles for the UPC. Don't be misled by these people. The UPC is far, faaaaar from materialising. It's a beaurocratic mess because when meticulously analysed it turns out that UPCA is inherently incompatible with national laws. Most politicians never bother checking and they just add their vote/signature without even bothering to read the text (it's too long to properly understand). No 'unitary' patents have been granted and we don't expect such a creature to ever exist.

"No 'unitary' patents have been granted and we don't expect such a creature to ever exist."The latest hurdle is being pointed out by EPO insiders (example from earlier today); they too aren't interested in 'unitary' patents, perhaps realising that the damage caused by any wrongly-granted patent would be multipied. Who would love that other than prosecutors?

Well, patent lawyers, writing on the topic a week prior to that (with a loaded headline too) make it seem imminent (via ), but this is their sales strategy. They tell their clients about 'unitary' patents which will never exist, overselling a fantasy that will result in disappointment (waste of clients' money). They must be getting cold feet; when the UPC is officially dead, what will they tell their clients? Who will ever trust them again?

"...when the UPC is officially dead, what will they tell their clients? Who will ever trust them again?"This brings us to Josep Maria Pujals, whom we mentioned here many times before. He's a longtime UPC booster and he recently wrote a "tweet" about Spain. So IAM made it "news", knowing that facts don't matter as long as Battistelli's agenda (like UPC) gets promoted by it. IAM is nothing but a trashy tabloid sponsored by patent trolls, but we still need to observe and respond to it because some people take it seriously. Earlier today it said: "New Spanish government hints that UPC and unitary patent membership are back on the agenda."

What is that "hint"? Tell us, Joff, please will you tell us? Remember that Battistelli's buddy, Joff Wild, has a long history saying that Spain is about to adopt UPC. He has done this for years, yet it never happens. It's the "real soon now!" strategy. Joff used to live in Spain (Barcelona), so he likes writing about Spain. Here's what he said this morning:

A month after coming to power, the PSOE government in Spain is all set to re-open the debate about whether the country should sign up to the EU unitary patent and Unified Patent Court agreement. According to Josep Maria Pujals of Barcelona-based IP firm Ponti – who has proved an invaluable source for us on a number of Spanish stories – Herick Campos, PSOE’s spokesperson on the industry committee of the Cortes (Spain’s parliament), has stated that the patent and the court are on the government’s radar. To that end, the industry minister Reyes Maroto, within whose department Spain’s Patent...


Oh, and then comes the paywall. So the sole source for this is a longtime UPC booster, who works for the patent 'industry' in Spain. There's no link, no publication is being named, so it seems like little more than unverifiable hearsay from someone who is biased for his living.

"There's no link, no publication is being named, so it seems like little more than unverifiable hearsay from someone who is biased for his living."Bristows then links to it (the IAM 'report'), giving the varnish/appearance of credibility to some Twitter account of a UPC proponent from Spain.

Manuel Rey-Alvite (Bristows) wrote: "Looks like the new Spanish government might be tackling the issue of UP/UPC participation during this term after all."

"This "apparent new appetite" is of the patent law firms in Spain, not Spain itself."Any link? Any source? IAM has none. UPC boosters (lawyers) then add: "Some might speculate as to whether prospect of Brexit has contributed to apparent new appetite of ES to approach the issue more benevolently."

This "apparent new appetite" is of the patent law firms in Spain, not Spain itself. SMEs in Spain oppose it, many politicians rightly oppose it, but hey... Josep Maria Pujals says that he heard somebody say something. That's good enough for IAM. Battistelli will raise a glass to that tonight. "Good job, my son, Joff! More self-fulfilling prophecies please! Quality!"

Suffice to say, it speaks volumes when IAM says not a single word about last week's ILO-AT judgments (union-busting 'cases') or about Judge Corcoran while making a big deal out of a tweet. Yesterday Joff Wild published another astounding puff piece (or hogwash) for Battistelli, saying that he should be proud. Maybe someone at FTI Consulting or Saint-Germain-en-Laye can compensate IAM for these efforts one day. They both got millions from EPO budget (merci beaucoup monsieur Battistelli).

Recent Techrights' Posts

Karen Melchior Fought the Good Fight
stay tuned for Part 29
We Need Less Gadgets, More Humanity
If people are being honest with themselves, many of the gadgets they claim they "cannot live without" are just excesses and distractions they could definitely leave behind
Daniel Pocock in The Guardian This Morning
There is an opportunity here to spread a message, even if Pocock won't win a seat
 
Canonical Staff Acting Like They Aim to Receive Job Offers From Microsoft
There are moreover allegations that Debian will do the same, in the same way Mono boosters infected both distros in tandem or in turn.
Worsening Staff Affairs at Microsoft
Microsoft is managing to piss off many of its own workers
Czech Mate for GNU/Linux on the Way
Czechoslovakia is having none of that "peace for our time" with Microsoft
Nobody Will be Left Who Trusts IBM Anymore
The common theme is, the management must be completely replaced as soon as possible and truth needs to come out
Wall Street is a Bubble and No Company is Worth 5 Trillion Dollars
It's not hard to see which stocks will crash the hardest (or fastest)
The Corrupt Have Historically Tried to Paint Their Exposers as the Real Problem
As usual, there are efforts to shoot or muzzle the messenger
Search Engine Market Share in Italy: Microsoft Falls to Third in Many Countries Including Italy
Expect more layoffs in Bing
Links 20/07/2026: Spotify Drowning in Slop, Expiry of Software Patents in MPEG-4
Links for the day
Gemini Links 20/07/2026: Another Step Towards Owning Personal Data and Gemtext2 Envisioned
Links for the day
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Public Missions and Private Ambitions
Despite the French government's strong formal pushback, the lobbying momentum generated by Campinos and Negrão proved unstoppable
"DOOM" and "Bloodbath": the State of Microsoft and XBox
Way to piss off fans
Links 20/07/2026: Notes on E-mail Encryption, Torvalds and His Employer Paid a Lot to Promote Slop (Pyramid Scheme)
Links for the day
What a Difference Six Years Make...
We are also beta-testing a new feature for the site; we plan to announce it some time soon
When It Comes to Slop, Richard Stallman is Opposite of Linus Torvalds
When it comes to computing, Dr. Stallman has long been a voice of reason
Daniel Pocock is in Mainstream Media This Week
Pocock's haters will absolutely hate this
In His Departure Post, Poul-Henning Kamp (phk) Explains Why Linus Torvalds is Full of "Hot Air" and Slop Bubbles
Having lived through previous bubbles as a UNIX geek, phk cannot be ignored
Whistleblowers Keep Flowing
Later today a police investigator should phone us regarding death threats we've received
Technology and Gadgets Got Obese, Just Like Their Users
They now sell us so-called 'phones' for slop
"Samsung Recently Projected a 19-fold Surge in Second-Quarter Operating Profit", Now There Are Mass Layoffs
In a 9-month period Samsung's debt rose by about 80%
Gemini Links 20/07/2026: Dungeon Meshi/Undertale Crossover, "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Dark Web and Beyond"
Links for the day
IBM's Control of the Media "Just Showed What Taking Accountability Does Not Look Like"
It is no secret that IBM pays the media
Microsoft Loses XBox Lawsuit, But There Are More
The collapse of studios continues
GNU/Linux Approaching International Average in Djibouti
One can envisage further gains for GNU/Linux, seeing Microsoft is in such a bad shape
Daniel Pocock "[t]he Australian Taking on Nigel Farage — from Down Under"
This can help raise awareness of some issues
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 19, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, July 19, 2026
Misleading Coverage in Slashdot Promotes and Openwashes Slop
Piggybacking RMS for the headline seems like a PR stunt of sorts
As Envisioned, a Rebellion and Many Whistleblowers at Microsoft
Whistleblowers ensure Microsoft has totally lost control of the "narrative" (face-saving PR)
Microsoft is a Right-Wing Company
Just remember that when people call Microsoft "woke"
GNU/Linux "Market Share" Rises to About a Quarter in Sudan
Can anyone explain to us why?
Gemini Links 19/07/2026: Visiting Ethiopia, Two Dreams, and Price of Skinnerboxes
Links for the day
Tears in IBM, Company Falls Apart While Management Fakes "Performance" to Take Bonuses
Wall Street is a naked emperor
Telling Our Story
In the coming years we'll have some high-impact stories to share and generally tell without fear of reprisal
Microsoft XBox Studio Leaders Upset at What the New CEO Did
From what we can gather, in 2024 XBox was already entering what's known as a "death spiral". Now it's literally moving down the drain/pipe.
IRC Started in Finland, GNU/Linux Did Not
History is like that
GNU/Linux Rises to 8% in Bhutan, Same as the International Average
Taking note of estimated GNU/Linux share in that country, we see it hovering around the international median/average this month
Links 19/07/2026: "The Voice of Google" and "Chinese Surveillance Tech a Threat to Privacy"
Links for the day
Keep Both Eyes on the Ball
At the moment we have six series running in parallel; two of them concern the EPO
'Journalists' Who Help IBM Cover Up Fraud
Journalistic malpractice
The "Modern Linux" Song
Join us now, make the kernel
XBox Layoffs Vastly Bigger Than Microsoft Told the Press, Microsoft Keeps Trying to Change the Subject
Many so-called "XBox fans" are no more
Microsoft Lost 1,200 Billion Dollars in "Market Value", Take a Look at What Happened to Windows
while Windows continues to fall unstoppably GNU/Linux is surging
Links 19/07/2026: People in China Are Buying Feelings and 404 Media Has Third Anniversary
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/07/2026: Camping, Health, and Hardware
Links for the day
The State of Slopfarms
Slopfarms or LLM slopfarms are a menace and a problem on the Web
GNU/Linux Rising to 6% in Brunei
seventh in the world for GDP (PPP) per capita
Free Software is Like an 'Activist Movement'
People who argue strongly in favour of something (even very good things) will attract the wrath of those whom they oppose
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 18, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, July 18, 2026
UKIP TV (GBNoise) Covers Challengers to UKIP Nigel, Daniel Pocock Mentioned
Way to get noticed
Links 18/07/2026: Chinese State Media Depicting Neighbours as Monkeys, US "Stocks Sink on Anxiety About Tech and Hey Hi (AI) Spending"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/07/2026: "Business Idiots Everywhere", "The Siren Song of DePIN", and Entering Geminispace
Links for the day
GNU/Linux in Lithuanian Desktops/Laptops Climbs to 8%, the Global Average
For its own national security it would be wise to abandon Windows
This Bubble is Bursting, Piecewise
It's nice to see Wall Street getting some reality checks
It's Not About XBox, Microsoft is Already Firing Hundreds of People Who Do "Security [sic] Engineering" [sic]
The official reason/excuse/lie told is something about slop, but no sane person would buy it (not even insiders who are impacted)
Can We Finally All Agree That UEFI 'Secure Boot' is a Sham That Harms Security and Gives Microsoft Remote Control Over All PCs and Servers (Even Those That Don't Run Any Microsoft Software)?
Cui bono?
Bolivian People Adopt GNU/Linux (They Have a Domestic Distro Too, PluriOS)
Notice Windows falling to an all-time low
No Technical People Write About UK Parliamentary Elections
Almost none of them work in the media, which seems to favour parrots, slop, or parrots that use slop
"But Stallman is Scaring Away Women..."
Such dishonest projections (projection tactics) needs to be called out and refuted
First Female Debian Project Leader (DPL) Affirms Low Profile and Inferior Status of Women in GAFAM
3 months ago Sruthi Chandran was elected as Debian Project Leader (DPL) for a period of 12 months
After 5 Years Vista 11 Still Adopted Less Than Its Predecessor (Orphaned, End of Life Since Last Year)
Notice Windows going down to 40%
We Don't Depend on Google (or Search Engines in General)
there's a lesson here and it extends beyond sites
Only "Torvaldos" (Linus Torvalds) Can Use the F-Word, CoC Does Not Apply to the Enforcer, and Richard Stallman Punished for Using the Other F-Word ("Freedom")
"Linus Torvalds tells AI haters to fork off"
Explaining the Culture of Bulletin Board-Style Chat
Only desperate detractors would try to present something (cherry-picked) from IRC as some sort of official statement for Techrights
Independent, But Not Fringe
"Daniel Pocock is an Independent Candidate."
In Free Software, Nobody Gets Fired
Way to own one's code and project
PIP-Styled Mass Layoffs Allegedly Coming to Microsoft by 12 August 2026
Microsoft has been doing "silent layoffs" (PIPs and more) for quite some time
Daniel Pocock's Candidacy (Election of Member of Parliament) Mentioned in BBC and Over a Dozen News Sites Since Yesterday
Funnily enough, albeit not surprisingly, the same people who attack Pocock also attack us
Links 18/07/2026: Spotify Uses Slop Song Descriptions, "San Francisco Demands Removal of Nudify Apps"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, July 17, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, July 17, 2026
Gemini Links 18/07/2026: A Manifesto by The Dissident, Shokz Headphones, and Gemini Tinylog Reader (GTL)
Links for the day