IPKat reacts to misleading information provided by the European Commission and the European Patent Office on the Unitary Patent Package.In particular, the procedure is more complex than advertised, the costs won't be lower in practice and European SME's won't benefit from the new system:"Any benefits of the system apply equally to non-European companies, but the disadvantages will disproportionately affect European ones, particularly the potential rise in third party patent rights that they have to consider, and especially in the countries where fewer European patents are currently validated."

In a later post, IPKat simulates an interview between a patent attorney and his client trying to understand whether he/she should opt for the Unitary Patent.

AFTER having pushed through a career reform that increased the salaries for newly recruited managers and stalls the careers of almost everybody else,
AFTER having accepted the next health reform that further weakens the position of staff who are sick or invalid, and
AFTER having confirmed the Council's "clear will to continue the policy of reforms to the benefit of users" (sic),

Mr Kongstad and Mr Battistelli called for a renewed social dialogue. Mr Kongstad and Battistelli "consider in particular that the formal recognition of the trade unions within the EPO’s legal framework could create the conditions to re-launch the process and to overcome some longstanding issues."

SUEPO obviously applauds the initiative to recognise a Union that represents half of the personnel of the EPO. This was indeed long overdue. However, we fail to see how Union recognition could solve any of the more urgent outstanding problems.

The next demonstration targets the Dutch consulate (see SUEPO flyer).

Back in February 2015, the Danish website, Ingeniøren (printable version), commented on the protests at the European Patent Office and the lack of independence of the Boards of Appeals:

"the highly educated specialists of the EPO have been so frustrated about the consistent erosion of their ability to do a good job that they have been out demonstrating in Munich, where the EPO has its headquarters. The most recent demonstrations ended at the Danish consulate in Munich" [...] "There will no longer be even one independent instance for a company that fails to get its European application approved. That amounts to serious prejudicing of rights!"

"It is now being suggested quite seriously in professional patent advisory circles that clients should be advised to avoid the EPO (and thus the unitary patent) entirely and apply nationally, the way things were done long ago, before 1978."

A translation in English is available by scrolling through the document.

El Pais, one of the reference newspapers in Spain, published an article on the social conflict at the EPO due to the "dictatorial attitudes" of President Battistelli, abuse of the judicial immunity and lack of proper consultation on the reforms.

Translations in English, French and German are available by scrolling through the document.

Mr Battistelli and Mr Kongstad called for a renewed social dialogue and invited Union officials to a "kick-off meeting" on 22 April 2015.

A report on the meeting can be found here.

Early March, SUEPO sent a letter to the Bayerische Landesärztekammer (BLAEK) asking questions about the obligations of medical doctors working for the EPO.We have now received a reply. We are very grateful to the Bayerische Landesärztekammer for providing us with timely and thorough answers, as well as the relevant regulations.

IAM Magazine comments on the lack of transparency and independent oversight of international IP offices such as the European Patent Office (EPO) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).It concludes that:

"No doubt, transparency and independent oversight look unattractive for many that work inside IP’s major institutions. Such reactions are understandable among people who, like most inside the IP world, entered the field when it had a very different, much lower profile. Nevertheless, I am afraid, that’s the way it has to be. We cannot hold off on doing the right thing because it discomfits certain people and interests.IP is too important for that."

Earlier in December 2014, Le Monde published an article on the French company, France Telecom, which initiated an alleged "modernisation process" and introduced corporate harassment against its employees.Several suicides took place among the employees of the company.

Translations are available in English, German and Dutch by scrolling through the document.

Saarbrücker Zeitung published an article on the governance crisis at the EPO."Der Verwaltungsrat hat beschlossen, aktiv zu werden", says the Federal Ministry of Justice in Germany.

A similar article was published in Stuttgarter Zeitung, "Der soziale Friede ist zerstört".

Le Monde, one of the reference newspapers in France,published an article on the deleterious social climate at the European Patent Office culminating with an authoritarianmanagement style and four suicides since 2012.Translation are available in English, German and Dutch by scrolling through the document

The article was published online on 6 April 2015 and then in the paper edition of 7 April 2015.Reader comments can be found here.