Summary: Downing Street (London) confirms that UPC is untenable; but don't expect Team UPC to have much to say about it, except pretend that Milan can magically be renamed "London"
EARLIER this week we wrote about rumours that we believe to be very credible (supported by evidence); they're about 'Mrs. UPC' of the European Patent Office (EPO) retiring, or having quietly retired some time back. We've long suspected something to that effect and merely waited for an official confirmation. António Campinos is unlikely to talk about it; this lady was to Battistelli the 'right hand liar' who trotted around the world seeding lies in the media.
"...it's all about UPC lies and EPO corruption; those topics also attracted the most comments, many of which hostile towards the UPC and EPO management."Kluwer Patent Blog, a longtime booster of the UPC, has just disclosed some reading statistics, revealing as usual that it's all about the EPO; it's all about UPC lies and EPO corruption; those topics also attracted the most comments, many of which hostile towards the UPC and EPO management. Friends of the EPO examiners have just taken note of it [1, 2] and we're seeing similar trends in Managing IP (patent maximalists, UPC boosters, EPO apologists).
"And suffice to say, no UK participation means no UPC."But here's the "big news" this week (not likely to be regarded as big by those who are stressed by the message and want it to just "go away"); sporting a screenshot of text (yes, social control media is really that bad; with images as 'hacks' for too long a text), Joff and the 'IAM boys' (UPC boosters who came to accept they had promoted a dud for Battistelli cash) admit: "A statement issued by Downing Street this afternoon on the UK's future relationship with the EU rules out any ECJ jurisdiction in the UK. That would seem to kill off hopes that the UK might be a member of any future Unified Patent Court system."
And suffice to say, no UK participation means no UPC. No, they can't just magically shoehorn Milan where London used to be (it's in the text; they'd have to start all over again from scratch!).
"CJEU will have jurisdiction for biotech patents at least," Benjamin Henrion noted. "The same patents that are supposed that were supposed to be litigated in London :-)" (and he separately told me that "if you want annoy GSK and the UPC boosters, you ask a parliamentary question about the CJEU supremacy over biotech patents :-)").
"They've long been silent. Just like Team UPC in recent months. It's like they went into hiding."Poor Team UPC. Over one decade of endless nonsense and lies. And now they all look like a bunch of mugs. There may be software patents in Europe (granted by the EPO), but courts would typically cast these aside. "Back in 2004," Henrion has just recalled, "the Irish presidency was pushing for software patents while being sponsored by Microsoft."
Remember Charlie McCreevy and fellow proponents of software patents and UPC? They've long been silent. Just like Team UPC in recent months. It's like they went into hiding.
As for Berlin, it already said it would watch what London does, not ratifying irrespective of the FCC's determination. ⬆