Euro Patent Office hit with wave of anti-Battistelli letters

Another wave of letters condemning the controversial president of the European Patent Office, Benoit Battistelli, has been sent ahead of a meeting of the organization's Administrative Council this week in Munich. The council is due to discuss posting a vacancy notice for the presidency, with Battistelli's term due to end in …

[Moosh]

Interesting, but...

For those unfamiliar with the controversy surrounding him, might it not be a good idea to actually detail why these complaints are happening?

What activities has he been undertaking?

What are the unpopular reforms he's imposing?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Interesting, but...

Google is your friend, but if you have not been following this saga you better make yourself a cup of your favourite warm beverage first because it's a (far too) loooong collection of events.

The short version is that this man should not have been in charge of anything more involved than a hamster cage (without the hamster, because that would have been animal cruelty), and certainly not of a full organisation. It demonstrates that letting unprincipled, incapable people reign in a place without good checks and balances is not a particularly good idea.

[gandalfcn]

Re: Interesting, but...

"It demonstrates that letting unprincipled, incapable people reign in a place without good checks and balances is not a particularly good idea."

That sounds uncommonly like the government in the USA, not to mention the UK.

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Interesting, but...

There are further links in the story and in the "More..." section at the bottom of the story, all leading to exactly what you asked for.

[Anonymous Coward]

Like the reams of detail in the articles linked at the bottom of the page you mean?

[Pascal Monett]

"[..] Admin Council chair Jesper Kongstad who is attempting to protect Battistelli .."

I believe that, given the toxicity of this whole affair, anyone putting their support behind Battistelli must be aware that they could very well be caught in the downdraft when the hammer finally falls.

Because the hammer is on its way, now.

[AndyS]

Re: "[..] Admin Council chair Jesper Kongstad who is attempting to protect Battistelli .."

I imagine he has made a decision between two options: a) abandon him (and be sacked by him now), or b) attempt to prop him up for as long as possible (and be sacked along side him).

[thegroucho]

Re: "[..] Admin Council chair Jesper Kongstad who is attempting to protect Battistelli .."

Wouldn't it be nice to get the courier with the 'you are fired' notice be called Thor?

[Edward Clarke]

A reason to look closely

You would think that having someone try to kill this man (bike brakes) would send a clear signal to everyone involved that something is seriously wrong. Leaving him in there when everyone is trying to get him out is a recipe for disaster.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: A reason to look closely

As far as I know the story of the Presidential bike brakes being tampered with is generally regarded as "fake news" inside the EPO (even before the term as "fake news" became so popular).

This item of "news" was put into circulation by a Vice-President apparently in order to justify a budgetary request for the President's personal security (bodyguards etc.).

I don't believe that anybody inside the EPO takes it seriously. It is considered to be PR trick to gain sympathy from the Administrative Council by portraying the President as a "victim".

[Fortycoats]

Next opportunity

Does the Turkish patent office have an opening at the moment? Sounds like this guy would fit right in with Erdogan and his cronies. They'd get along like a house on fire.

[Alistair]

@fourtycoats

No, but I believe the USPTO will have an opening soon.....

[Potemkine]

I'm impressed by the number of El Reg's articles about an obscure European office which isn't even IT related... I guess that SUEPO union is really good at PR.

[Swarthy]

A patent office is not science/Tech related? That's not even true of the USPTO.