Summary: Political figures and opportunists with connections occupy top positions at top European agencies; this assures self-destructive policies that diminish progress and cushion corruption
THE French professor who led the EPO is, based on what EPO insiders have told us, at least somewhat compassionate. We saw evidence of it and published some of it in past years. Contrary to Benoît Battistelli, he at least knew what science was; he had participated in it. As Wikipedia puts it, Professor Pompidou "took doctorates in medicine, biology and science. From 1974 to 2004, he was professor of histology, embryology and cytogenetics in the medical faculty of the University of Paris. Until 2004 he was also director of the laboratory of the Cochin – St Vincent de Paul – La Roche Guyon Hospital in Paris, head of the cytogenetics and pathology department, and chairman of the hospital group's advisory board. He hold tenures at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York."
"Who runs the EPO now? A bloody laughing stock; friends of friends, who are technically incompetent without proficiencies in either patents or sciences."This is the kind of president that examiners can at least respect. He left the EPO at the end of June 2007, i.e. almost exactly 13 years ago.
Who runs the EPO now? A bloody laughing stock; friends of friends, who are technically incompetent without proficiencies in either patents or sciences. They compensate for it by gagging and bullying staff, i.e. the usual when you're eager to stifle those who point out the obvious. As usual for weekends, this time on a Saturday, the EPO published this "news" (warning: epo.org link) which has nothing at all to do with patents. Pure politics. It says "chair of the organisation’s Diversity & Inclusion Panel Nellie Simon raises the rainbow flag" and shows a photo op of her with a flag. The corrupt administration (top-level management) may be trying to 'soften' the image with puff pieces, but this boils down to what's known as pinkwashing.
What have they got to show for actual work on patents? Nothing. Nothing but patents of decreased quality and rapidly-decreasing legal certainty (or legitimacy).
"What have they got to show for actual work on patents? Nothing. Nothing but patents of decreased quality and rapidly-decreasing legal certainty (or legitimacy)."What's coming up next? Panel discussion stacked by Battistelli's friends, António Campinos, Christian Archambeau (whom Battistelli allegedly arranged a lucrative job for; he used to be in the EPO) and Yann Ménière. Corruption persists at the European Patent Office (EPO) and EUIPO, but so-called 'studies' from unqualified people and bribed scholars will help distract from that, surely. This new puff piece from Metal Additive Manufacturing ("AM") magazine ("European Patent Office to release new study on trends in AM") says: "The launch will be preceded by a panel discussion between António Campinos, president of the EPO, and Christian Archambeau, Executive Director of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), followed by a presentation of the study by Yann Ménière, the EPO’s Chief Economist."
It's like Battistelli in charge, albeit in absentia.
"Science, facts and evidence no longer matter at the EPO."Today's EPO is being reduced to greenwashing, pinkwashing, openwashing and exploitation of COVID-19 for false marketing. Surely examiners can understand that patents on masks, for instance, will not keep us safer. They'll prevent mask manufacturers from making better and more effective masks. See the Morning Journal's "Versa-Flex owner files patent for mask that doesn't fog glasses" (EPO mentioned). Maybe some EPO 'study' will attempt to spin all these patents as beneficial to the fight against COVID-19 in the same way they portray patents on wind turbines and such as beneficial to the environment (as if the monopolies themselves will make their use more widespread).
Science, facts and evidence no longer matter at the EPO. Even their so-called 'study' regarding finance is a "hoax", according to the EPO's own union. One wonders if EPO chiefs wear masks at all (we never saw evidence of that; they fail to provide masks for staff). Maybe they all know "better"... like Donald Trump (except when nobody is watching). ⬆