back to article Euro nations push for vote to axe Europe's patent office president

European governments have finally had enough of the head of the European Patent Office, Benoit Battistelli, and are pushing for a vote that could turn him into a lame duck president. The EPO's Administrative Council is due to meet in Munich next week and on the agenda is a discussion over the appointment of a new president of …

  1. Adrian 4

    What if the council were to first propose a vacancy for the chairman ?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Job For Life

    So again: he's not going anywhere, is he?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    He's not losing his job.

    He's just being moved somewhere else. So many options for sinecures in the EU. I'm betting he's going to be High Director of Banana Curvature or Chairman of the European Poetry Culture Executive.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: He's not losing his job.

      Except for the important detail that th EPO is not an EU institution, so he's not an EU employee.

      Hasn't that been repeated about a billion times? Not everything labelled "European" is part of the EU.

      I can understand that the EU deserves criticism - but can't we get it thoughtful, and established on facts, rather than the usual drivel based on urban myths and complete misunderstandings?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: EPO is not an EU institution

        So who funds it?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: EPO is not an EU institution

          The EPO is funded by charges to those people wishing to patent an invention, or the fees to renew invention patents.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Never mind the axe...

    Bring back Madame la Guillotine!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Never mind the axe...

      I've got a list.

      1. Mark 85

        Re: Never mind the axe...

        I've got a grandmother who can knit and drop a stitch at the required time. I hope that will help.

  5. Mk4

    Battistelli is an unbeliveable c**t. The fact that the EPO has had this happen should make the states who are participating in this circus of scary clowns change the f**king rules by which this most important institution is run.

    FFS - this isn't the dark ages and the EPO is not some kind of fiefdom to be abused at will.

    1. bazza Silver badge

      One also wonders what's in it for this Kongstad chap. He seems to be going out of his way to block action. Is he best buddies with Battistelli? What reason can he have to help Battistelli?

  6. Mark 85

    The Chairman is the one protecting Battistelli apparently. Drinking buddies? Someone has a skeleton in the closet? Or just the normal politics of: "I''m not going to do what you tell me to because I am the POWER!"?

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