Bonum Certa Men Certa

Yannis Skulikaris Promotes Software Patents at EPOPIC, Defending the Questionable Practice Under António Campinos

Summary: The reckless advocacy for abstract patents on mere algorithms from a new and less familiar face; the EPO is definitely eager to grant software patents and it explains to stakeholders how to do it

THERE's no excuse for what António Campinos does at the European Patent Office (EPO). It's not good at all, but media turns a blind eye to it, as we shall explain in our next post. Nothing has changed for the better and quite a few things actually got worse.



"Nothing has changed for the better and quite a few things actually got worse."EPOPIC started yesterday. It was opened/commenced by Campinos. He did not say anything important, at least based on the corresponding EPO tweets (e.g. [1, 2, 3]). He's the quiet president, an EPO President who tries not to rattle any golden cages. So we shall focus on more vocal people -- those who shamelessly promote software patents in Europe.

Corrupt EPO officials have long been promoting software patents like never before; it's not entirely new a thing, but before Battistelli it was somewhat contained. Under Battistelli it became very much evident and under Campinos this promotion of software patents is done about three times a day; they've become a rogue institution begging to be reprimanded. But who can ever reprimand them? They're positioned above the law, unlike the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which habitually gets sued.

"Corrupt EPO officials have long been promoting software patents like never before; it's not entirely new a thing, but before Battistelli it was somewhat contained.""WTF," Benjamin Henrion wrote yesterday, quoting the EPO: "2018 may well be the turning point for the EPO and patent information, with the disruptive emergence of AI, Blockchain, machine learning, IoT, IoS, IoE and I4.0" (this abstract can be found in https://www.epo.org/learning-events/events/conferences/pi-conference/programme/Abstracts.html#clarke)

Henrion continued: "The EPO technical bullshit excuse to grant software patents once again, time for a new directive, now field again extended to "IOT", "Cloud", "AI": hhttp://documents.epo.org/projects/babylon/eponot.nsf/0/AEED0CD590113AB3C12583390053E87B/$File/MON_1211_slot0900-1030_Yannis_Skulikaris_en.pdf …" [PDF]

Buzzwords for software patents at the EPO aren't a new thing; back in the old days they said "CII" and "ICT"; Battistelli added a few more like "4IR" and patents on algorithms can nowadays be easily granted if one says "AI", "blockchain" or something "on a car". There are several more examples we wrote about.

The above presentation comes from Mr. Yannis Skulikaris. IP World Summit describes him as "Director Operations | Sector Information & Communications Technology EPO."

"Buzzwords for software patents at the EPO aren't a new thing; back in the old days they said "CII" and "ICT"; Battistelli added a few more like "4IR" and patents on algorithms can nowadays be easily granted if one says "AI", "blockchain" or something "on a car"."Well, oddly enough he's listed as a speaker in a page called "Mr Francesco Zacca" (did he quit? Did he cancel his talk? The bottom of the page still says "Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Francesco.")

Francesco Zaccà was mentioned in our leaked publications and was the subject of past articles of ours.

Let's just assume that Zaccà was either replaced by Skulikaris or Skulikaris simply decided to speak instead of Zaccà. If EPO insiders could share with us the employment status of Zaccà, that would be awesome. Given all the awful things he has done, it would not surprise us if he recently got promoted (aggressive and dishonest behaviour is what EPO management rewards nowadays, based on the past few years' pattern).

Zaccà's talk (delivered by Skulikaris instead) seems similar to what he presented at EPOPIC yesterday; there too he had promoted software patents about a month ago.

"Let's just assume that Zaccà was either replaced by Skulikaris or Skulikaris simply decided to speak instead of Zaccà."Watch the slides. "Software-related patents" is what he calls software patents because the EPO no longer pretends to obey the EPC and terms like "CII" aren't seen as necessary. What we deal with here is a rogue institution that laughs at the law and spits in judges' faces.

As per the EPO's own words: "Yannis Skulikaris, EPO expert, will explain the problem-solution approach to be applied in mixed-type claims that contain both technical & non-technical features. #EPOPIC pic.twitter.com/vDpL54Mfd7" (the picture shows slides).

As Henrion explains, "that's EPO fraudulent interpretation of the EPC. French courts have been rejecting their interpretation, but the EPO keeps going."

"What we deal with here is a rogue institution that laughs at the law and spits in judges' faces."See "The Paris High Court Reaffirms the Ban on Software Patents" (2015).

The EPO has operated outside the rule of law for years," I responded to Henrion. "In many ways."

Going back to the EPO's own words: "Yannis Skulikaris talks about the examiner practice when it comes to mixed-type claims. The approach includes two stages: (1) does the claim contain non-patentable subject-matter acc. to Art 52 EPC? (2) Is the subject-matter inventive? #EPOPIC pic.twitter.com/uVYrGxmAin [...] Yannis Skulikaris reveals some essential aspects that will support you in the interaction with the Office. #EPOPIC These are crucial questions that an examiner will ask you:pic.twitter.com/ctm3DgSapo [...] Yannis Skulikaris shares some guidelines on how to approach the biggest challenges for applications to the EPO: the inventive step & the technical character. #EPOPIC pic.twitter.com/BKQzBREjki"

"So the EPO is advising to people (even in this event) to pursue software patents in the 'right' ways..."There are some photos there too. So the EPO is advising to people (even in this event) to pursue software patents in the 'right' ways...

The EPO has totally quit pretending on software patents. "It's operating outside the law," I said in response Catarina Maia, who describes herself as "European IPR Helpdesk Ambassador". We spotted Catarina Maia on Twitter after she was retweeted by the EPO as saying: "Software can be protected by patents in Europe, as long as it solves a technical problem. Technical problem: recognizing handwritten text. Non-technical: software for learning a foreign language. #softwarepatents https://twitter.com/epoorg/status/1061895682464890880 …"

I debated this with her and then she just suddenly blocked me. She blocked right after losing an argument (she was unable to answer a very simply and polite question). "European IPR Helpdesk Ambassador" must mean not Ambassador because Ambassadors don't just stonewall constituents. If they do, they must be exceptionally incompetent.

"The EPO has totally quit pretending on software patents."What Maia cannot recognise is the simple fact that all software is algorithms and algorithms are software. She promotes the concept of "algorithm per se" (whatever that even means).

Software that's not "algorithm per se" is like a meal that's not "food per se"; it's just an old lawyers' trick. People who never coded anything and don't understand how computers work...

These software patents boosters can't win debates; they just block people; how very typical of them. Some block me without ever speaking to me (ever!), revealing the fact that they're just afraid is being talked to, mentioned etc. Very thin-skinned people, incapable of coping with opposing views. They surround themselves with people who make them intolerant of other perspectives, scientists' for instance.

"These software patents boosters can't win debates; they just block people; how very typical of them."Not good. These are decision-making personalities!

"I guess you saw the EPO software patents slides of today," one reader told us. People are certainly noticing. We sure noticed and waited until we could gather enough information for a response/rebuttal.

Managing IP was there as well. All it could say was: "Lots of exhibitors and participants @EPOorg #EPOPIC in Brussels. Insightful table discussion sessions!"

The EPO retweeted this.

Readers can imagine who was (and wasn't) at these table discussions.

"Readers can imagine who was (and wasn't) at these table discussions.""EPO expert Yannis Skulikaris," according to the EPO, said: “In both columns, software plays the decisive role. In one case it contributes to solving a technical problem, in the other one it doesn’t.“ #EPOPIC pic.twitter.com/tOj6vXWmMd

That's just meaningless mumbo-jumbo. Ask programmers what that actually means. We don't suppose Skulikaris is a programmer.

Henrion quoted from the slides and added: "EPO: Software patents are everywhere, especially at the EPO http://documents.epo.org/projects/babylon/eponot.nsf/0/AEED0CD590113AB3C12583390053E87B/$File/MON_1211_slot0900-1030_Yannis_Skulikaris_en.pdf …" [PDF]

"As of years ago," I told him, "the EPO quit pretending that it is even TRYING to obey the law. They are the shame of Europe now [and] even the staff hates the management..."

"It wasn't so long ago (earlier this month) that Team UPC cited a stacked parliamentary session about the UPC."Henrion noted that "EPO swpat [software patents] conference running at the moment in Brussels, as usual they forgot to invite "critics". Next EUPACO conference, we won't invite the "proponents" of the UPC https://www.epo.org/learning-events/events/conferences/pi-conference.html … #upc #epomustgo #epo software patents"

"Vendor capture where the 'vendor' is the litigation 'industry' that makes nothing (except lawsuits, damage)" was my response to him.

"Team UPC hopes that the UPC (a 'unified' court) will replace all these 'naughty' national courts that keep rejecting software patents."It wasn't so long ago (earlier this month) that Team UPC cited a stacked parliamentary session about the UPC. We already wrote about it thrice this month. Team UPC hopes that the UPC (a 'unified' court) will replace all these 'naughty' national courts that keep rejecting software patents.

Recent Techrights' Posts

What Makes RMS Such an Attractive Target ('Discreditisation' Campaigns)
Don't be so easily fooled
The Biggest OEMs or Vendors of GNU/Linux Stopped Competing With Microsoft (Which Pays Them to Promote Windows, Too)
Where are the competition authorities (or regulators for that matter)?
Would You Trust a Liar?
Why lie about the authorship?
Sanctions Cause Fragmentation in Software
some Chinese Linux developers are already subjected to restrictions similar to Russians'
The Internet is Failing to Protect Democratic Processes and Human Knowledge
Amplifying lies, rewarding plagiarists
Links 05/11/2024: Criminal Referrals Regarding Patent Trolls and Disinformation About the Election Process (Already)
Links for the day
 
Planet Debian Allows Politics (But It Depends on Your Opinions and Debian's Big Sponsors)
Planet Debian is OK with politics... as long as all your political opinions are the "correct" ones and you add cute animals
Let's Encrypt Falls to a New Low of Only 0.6% of Gemini Capsules Known to Lupa
In Gemini Protocol, certificates for encryption are required, but centralised Certificate Authorities (CAs) aren't needed
Computer-Generator Crap Flooding the Web, the Latest Example About "Linux"
Here's today's example
Links 06/11/2024: Election Disinformation and Legal Actions
Links for the day
Gemini Links 06/11/2024: Stargazing and Death on Hallowe'en
Links for the day
Mass Layoffs at Mozilla Announced During US Elections
Maybe nobody will notice?
[Meme] Announcing "Results" Before Everyone Even "Played"
There is a "tech" angle to otherwise political news
US Polls Close in One Minute (Social Control Media Does Not Care, Will Not Wait)
US election results will be known in about 2 days
Concentration and Centralisation Versus Aggregation or Syndication
KDE has a history of burying old sites
Social Control Media, Even Hours Before Polls Have Closed
Has social control media controlled by CPC (TikTok) and the Trumpmobile guy (Musk's "X") done enough to convince people not to even vote (based on presumptive "results", presented a long time before all polls have closed)?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, November 05, 2024
IRC logs for Tuesday, November 05, 2024
Wayland Pains in Community-Led Distros of GNU/Linux
Few people and companies use Wayland; there's hardly any technical or practical reason to choose it
IBM Still Conflating Microsoft With 'Security'
As a meme
Web Failing With Slop, Even in 'Linux' Sites (LLM Spam)
Add SEO prompting to the mix and the Web becomes a pool of slop, not knowledge
[Meme] State of the World Wide Web and Online Journalism
Technically a failure (DRM) and cannot even get basic things right
Trump's signature policy, building a wall, copied from Irish-Australian student politician
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Linus Torvalds' self-deprecating LKML CoC mail linked to Hitler's first writing: Gemlich letter
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
[Meme] Turning 18 in One Day
just one more day
Birthday Tomorrow
Many cakes and drinks are ready; we're one day away now
Gemini Links 05/11/2024: 'App' Needed for Parking, NNCP, Gomphotherium
Links for the day
How Voting Does Not Work
You cannot vote from an "app"
Saving the Planet With Honesty, Transparency, and Sharing (Not Only of Computer Code)
GAFAM is destroying the only habitat humans and other animals have and it'll only get worse
Disinformation About Election Outcomes Even Before Any Election Outcomes (or Election/Voting!)
seeding doubt about election outcomes
Links 05/11/2024: Bluesky and Enshittification, Pugad Baboy, and Lots of Disinformation Flooding the Web
Links for the day
[Meme] Sweaty Under the Belly
"OK, my critics are 'spam'"
Microsoft Bribing Canonical (to Stop Competing) and Bribing Users to Shun the Competition
Canonical is worth shunning
[Meme] The 2024 'Info Bros'
And prehistoric googling
Computers Getting Worse (for the User) Over Time
This is like Windows-ism coming to "Linux" through the hardware
[Meme] How NOT to Vote
Another form of (mostly-unspoken-of) election interference
An LLM Inside a 'Search' Engine Means That Companies Tell You What They Want, Not What Web Pages to Visit
The future of 'googling' things might be as unreliable as using Social Control Media as a source of information
Google's Debt Has Increased and 'Cash on Hand' Fell by 22.27% This Past Year
These are the numbers that the corporate media intentionally leaves out
Against Outsourcing of Sites and E-mail
Software Freedom is great, but it is not enough if you let someone else do it 'for you'
Drew DeVault: People Talking About My Attack Site (Against the Founder of GNU/Linux) is "Spam"
"Spam on sr.ht mailing lists"
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, November 04, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, November 04, 2024
There's a Reason Why Techrights is Turning 18 and Tux Machines Will Turn 20.5 Next Month
I started advocating GNU/Linux when I was a teenager
"Oppose the Fascist"
what the founder of GNU/Linux said
Techrights Has a Long History of Fighting to Expose 'Team Mono' or Microsofters Inside GNOME
Never downplay the malice of Microsoft and its operatives
Halloween, All Saints Day & Swiss citizenship
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 05/11/2024: Halloween Over, Intention and Implementation, Bookmark Syncing
Links for the day
Microsoft Lost Nearly Half of Its 'Cash Reserves' This Past Year
Is Microsoft (MSFT) the next Intel (INTC)?
The Year Isn't Over Yet, There Will be More Waves of Microsoft Layoffs
Nowadays Microsoft just tries to conflate/equate its energy waste with "value"
The Corporate Media Blasted Bitcoin for Destroying the Planet and Must Do the Same to Incite the Public Against the 'Great Rigging of Wall Street' (Under the Guise of "AI", the Latest Gold Rush)
"AI" is the next "metaverse" (trailing by a few months)
[Video] Richard Stallman is Back to Halo and Gown (in Peru) With 2+ Hours of a Public Talk
The globetrotting Richard Stallman gave many talks at the end of last month
Going Strong Against the Wind
the abuse serves to emphasise or affirm the importance of what we do
Links 04/11/2024: Squashing More Software Patents and Taiwan at Risk
Links for the day
Gemini Links 04/11/2024: Typing vs Writing and a Smol (Net) Pub
Links for the day
Links 04/11/2024: LibreOffice Had Adopted PeerTube, "Hey Hi" Hype is a Threat to the Energy Grids (Worse Than Fake-Coins)
Links for the day
[Meme] Social Control Telescreens With Microphone
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Shout-out to Christine From FOSSForce
Who noticed our short story
Not Boycotting Apple (Yet)?
"Apple Forces The Signing Of Applications In MacOS Sequoia 15.1"
statCounter This Month: Android Has Nearly Become Twice as Big as Windows
If it happened, it would be an unprecedented milestone
Why Technical Sites Need Not Make Political Recommendations or Endorsements
Except perhaps when it's for some purely technical role, e.g. FCC chief
[Meme] Apple Freedom
Freedom is... the ability to purchase as many 'i' things as you want
Apple's MacOS Shows Us the Vision of Computing That GAFAM Has for Us (Digital Prisons)
Freedom means "we the people" should be in control, not people being controlled by corporations (contemporary slaveowners)
"Active" as in One URL, One Emoji, and 4 Words in One Week
Diversity community in Fedora
Apple Vision Pro Has Failed, Just Like "Metaverse"
Vision Pro lacks software
Things That Can Improve Election Integrity
the first two relate to "tech"
Rigging Elections is Difficult, Cheating a Little is Not
Avoid social control media, it is the biggest rigger of all
"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"
On throwing stones in a glass house
Our Stance on Electronic (or Digital) Voting Machines
The simple activity of voting and counting ballots does not require thousands of complex machines with hundreds of millions of transistors and hundreds of millions of lines of code
Microsoft and "Retrospective Re-writing of History..."
in YouTube anyone can make stuff up (as one goes along)
This Coming Week
Go exercise your right to vote
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, November 03, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, November 03, 2024
Reddit is (Still) Lying and Faking
Don't fall for this phony idea that the above sites are grassroots or edgy; they're not
GNU/Linux Users Are Not Cheaters
The bottom line is, most cheaters use Windows
Links 04/11/2024: FCC, Broadband Industry Spar Over Net Neutrality; Software Patent Squashed
Links for the day
Gemini Links 03/11/2024: Official MyGemini.Space Announcement
Links for the day