This document provides a non-exhaustive list of some articles, blog posts or videos published in June 2017 (sorted in reverse chronological order, not necessarily by relevance). Latest additions are highlighted in yellow:

• "EPO staff strike again" (WIPR, 30-06-2017).

• "Europäisches Patentamt: Deutscher wird neuer Chef des Verwaltungsrats" (Juve.de, 29-06-2017).

• "EPO Staff Calls General Strikes To Protest Presidential Reform Plans" (IP-Watch, 27-06-2017).

• "Keine rich­ter­liche Unab­hän­gig­keit beim Euro­päi­schen Patentamt?" (Legal Tribune Online, 16-06-2017). Translations are available in English and French.

• "Verfassungsbeschwerde gegen den UPC: „Unziemliche Hektik ist nicht geboten“ " (Juve.de, 21-06-2017).

• "Yet more reform efforts at the Euro Patent Office, and you'll never guess what..." (The Register, 17-06-2017).

• "Breaking News: Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court pulls Emergency Break on UPC Agreement" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 13-06-2017).

• "Patentwelt in Schockstarre: Unbekannter Kläger bremst UPC-Ratifizierung" (Juve.de, 13-06-2017).

• "German court delays UPC ratification" (WIPR, 13-06-2017).

• "Germany puts halt on European unitary patent" (The Register, 13-06-2017).

• "Verfassungsbeschwerde bremst EU-Gemeinschaftspatent aus" (Heise.de, 13-06-2017).

• "Germany delays common European redress for patent violations" (Reuters, 12-06-2017).

• "EU-Patent wegen deutscher Verfassungsklage auf Eis" (Finanzen.net, 12-06-2017).

• "Steinmeier wird Gesetz vorerst nicht unterzeichnen" (Handelsblatt.com, 12-06-2017).

• "BVerfG stoppt EU-Patent" (Legal Tribune Online, 12-06-2017).

• "Karlsruhe stoppt EU-Patentgericht" (F.A.Z., 12-06-2017).

• "Europäisches Patentamt: Nachfolger für umstrittenen Chef Battistelli gesucht" (Heise.de, 06-06-2017).
  Translations are available in English and French.

This document provides a non-exhaustive list of some articles, blog posts or videos published in May 2017 (sorted in reverse chronological order, not necessarily by relevance). Latest additions are highlighted in yellow:

SUEPO now addresses the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR):

• "SUEPO takes case about strike to European Court of Human Rights" (USF, 10 May 2017).

• "Patent office conflict heads to court of human rights" (EPSU, 10 May 2017).

• "Europäisches Patentamt: Gewerkschaft zieht vor den Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte" (Heise.de, 10 May 2017).

• "Trade union complains to ECHR over EPO immunity" (WIPR, 10 May 2017).

• "European Patent Office dragged to human rights court – by its own staff" (The Register, 10 May 2017).

• "SUEPO takes the Netherlands to human rights court over EPO tension" (IPPro Patents, 09 May 2017).

• "EPO trade union files complaint against The Netherlands before European Court of Human Rights" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 09 May 2017).

• "Aanklacht tegen Staat om problemen Octrooibureau" (De Telegraaf, 09 May 2017). Translations are available in English, German and French.

• "Klacht tegen Nederland over onschendbaarheid octrooibureau" (FOK.nl, 09 May 2017).

• "Klacht tegen Nederland over octrooibureau" (Nieuws.nl, 08 May 2017).

• "Klacht tegen Nederland over octrooibureau" (Nederlands Dagblad, 08 May 2017). Translations are available in French and German.

Other news articles published related to SUEPO - EPO - UPC - Unitary Patent - ILOAT etc.,

• "The Rule of Law, the EPO and the Ugly Writing on the Wall" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 25 May 2017).

• "Euro Patent Office staff warns board of internal rule changes" ( The Register, 23 May 2017). Translations are available in German and French.

• "‘Successor EPO president Benoît Battistelli to be chosen this autumn’" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 19 May 2017).

• "Scheiden tut weh" (Report.at, 11 May 2017).

• "WIPO Boss Seeks to Silence Press Critics and Whistleblowers" (GAP, 09 May 2017). See also WIPO: Criminal complaint against journalist.

• "NOW UN TOO DECIDES MEDIA IS THE ENEMY: WIPO, FAO, in unprecedented move, waive immunity to sue journalists for defamation" (theelephant.info, by Rasna Warah, 05 May 2017).

Summary
On 5 May 2017 the Tribunal held a symposium to mark its 90^th anniversary.  The program can be found at the Tribunal’s website^[1].  As can be expected from such an event there was much praise for the Tribunal. While some of it is merited, not all of it is: the Tribunal is showing its age. It needs to catch up with the current legal and practical developments. The present paper explains the reasons.

Dear SUEPO Members, dear Colleagues

As you remember, to defend the interests of its members when attacked by President Battistelli, SUEPO sought protection from the Dutch courts in the form of an injunction. An injunction is meant to prevent a violation of rights likely (if not certain) to cause irreparable damage. Disappointingl y, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands upheld the EPO’s immunity.  
 
A host state has a heavy duty of care. On the one hand, it must take reasonable steps to safeguard the immunity of an international organisation, when such immunity is necessary for the lawful operations of the organisation. On the other hand, the host state must see to it that all individuals within its jurisdiction have effective means to protect their rights when menaced.  
 
When the legal system applicable to an international organisation does not provide for protection in the form of an injunction, which is essential to prevent irreparable damage, and even worse when it is virtually indisputable that the organisation is violating rights, the host state has a serious difficulty. In our opinion, it has only two options:  either to lift the immunity of the organisation for the benefit of a party aggrieved, or to take itself action against the rogue organisation by resorting to international arbitration (in the EPO’s case, Article 23(1) PPI).  
 
Being unwilling to do either, in our opinion The Netherlands have failed (so far) to discharge their duty of care, thereby allowing a breach of fundamental rights on their soil and de facto condoning, if not endorsing, the EPO’s abuses.
 
Therefore, on 8 May 2017 SUEPO has filed a complaint against The Netherlands before the European Court of Human Rights.
 
As usual, we will keep you informed of any essential development.

Your SUEPO central

In its 123^rd session the Tribunal delivered a total of 97 judgments, of which 33[1] cases involving the EPO. Of the EPO cases, only 3 cases were partially won[2] by the complainants. Of the remaining cases 13 were summarily dismissed. In the 123rd session the Tribunal again stressed that it will only judge on “individual” decisions, thereby confirming its unwillingness to exercise normative control. Its tendency to send cases back to the EPO further contributes to the backlog at the EPO and at the Tribunal.

Press Release - STAFF UNIONS VEOB AND SUEPO TAKE CASE ABOUT STRIKE TO ECHR.

Amsterdam 8 May 2017 – Today, two staff unions at the European Patent Agency, VEOB and SUEPO, filed a complaint against the Netherlands with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) for violation of article 6 ECHR in combination with articles 10, 11 and 13 of the Convention.

The unions are represented by lawyer Prof. Liesbeth Zegveld.

USF (see Union Syndicale Fédérale) in Brussels wrote to ALL Members of the European Parliaments to inform them about the situation at EPO

Translations are available in German, French and Dutch.

Dear Colleagues,

Following Council's request that the FICSA membership be provided updates relative to staff-management relations in some of the more troubling organizations, we would like to provide you with the attached document published yesterday by a lawyer who is currently defending a Geneva-based journalist who had reported on the relatively recent FICSA/CCISUA organized demonstration against the WIPO Director General.

The document states that the Swiss Ambassador who this time lent his name to the WIPO Director General's criminal complaint,  is the same Ambassador who had allegedly helped the WIPO Director General when WIPO staff members' stolen personal effects were illegally transmitted to a Swiss laboratory for DNA analysis several years ago, without the staff members' knowledge and consent.  An OIOS investigation was blocked due to the Swiss/Geneva authorities' refusal to cooperate with the OIOS investigators.

The WIPO Director General has now put into place his own Staff Council, denying the rights of more than 600 WIPO Staff Association dues-paying members to be represented and defended by the elected leaders of their Staff Association in discussions and negotiations with the WIPO Director General.

FICSA will continue to provide advice and assistance to the WIPO Staff Association for as long as this unacceptable situation persists.

You can access the document via the following link:
RESPECTING FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AT THE UNITED NATIONS - article by Matthew Parish 25-04-2017

With best regards,

Gemma

Gemma Vestal
FICSA General Secretary
______________________________                  
FICSA secretariat, Palais des Nations
Office Dep. 201, CH-1211 Geneva 10
Tel.  (41)  (0) 22 917 3150
Fax.  (41) (0) 22 917 0660
Email: ficsa@unog.ch
Web:  http://www.ficsa.org

Please be informed that according to the the website of the Bayerische landtag, the Freie Wähler motion, regarding basic rights for EPO employees, will be discussed today, 25.04.2017, between 14.00-23.00 hr. Unfortunately we cannot inform you on the exact time. We can only inform you that  it is motion 23 of 29 motions to be discussed.

For further information see https://www.bayern.landtag.de/aktuelles/:

Plenarsitzung des Bayerischen Landtags - Dienstag, 25. April 2017 14:00 Uhr – 23:00 Uhr

[...]

23.       Antrag der Abgeordneten Hubert Aiwanger, Florian Streibl, Gabi Schmidt u.a. und Fraktion (FREIE WÄHLER): In München nichts Neues: Grundrechte der Bediensteten des Europäischen Patentamts endlich sicherstellen!, Drs. 17/15259, 17/16099 (A).
Beratungszeit: 32 Min. | Gesamtredezeit der Fraktionen: 24 Min.

Im federführenden Ausschuss für Bundes- und Europaangelegenheiten sowie regionale Beziehungen waren
Berichterstatterin: Gabi Schmidt
Mitberichterstatter: Walter Taubeneder

This document provides a non-exhaustive list of some articles, blog posts or videos published in April 2017 (sorted in reverse chronological order, not necessarily by relevance). Latest additions are highlighted in yellow:

• "UK Election called: UPC timetable likely to slip" (DEHNS Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys - Dr. Alex Robinson, 18 April 2017).

• "Alles neu mit Fragezeichen - Wie wird das Europäische Patentgericht arbeiten?" (FAZ, 18 April 2017).

• "Euro Patent Office reforms hit another stumbling block: Reality" (The Register, 13 April 2017).

• "Europäisches Patentgericht: Briten zaudern bei UPC-Ratifizierung" (Juve.de, 11 April 2017).

• "FREIE WÄHLER kritisieren Grundrechtseingriffe beim Europäischen Patentamt in München / Schmidt: Staatsregierung muss endlich handeln" (Bundespresseportal.de, 07 April 2017). Translations are available in English and French.

• "New IP advocacy group warns: trolls now accounting for 20% of German patent suits" (Foss Patents, 05 April 2017).

• "The EPO and the Problem of the Right Speed (IV) – Appeal Proceedings" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 07 April 2017).

• "The EPO and the Problem of the Right Speed (Part III) – Opposition Proceedings" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 06 April 2017).

• "The EPO and the Problem of the Right Speed (Part II) – Examination Proceedings" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 05 April 2017).

• "The EPO and the Problem of the Right Speed (Part I) – Introduction" (Kluwer Patent Blog, 02 April 2017).

• "The UPC after Brexit - is CJEU jurisdiction a deal-breaker?" (The IPKat, 04 April 2017). Please note that the comments are also worth reading.