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.

Plenarsitzung des Bayerischen Landtags - Donnerstag, 6. April 2017 9:00 Uhr – 18:00 Uhr

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, 17/16069

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

Beratungszeit: 32 Min.
Gesamtredezeit der
Fraktionen: 24 Min.

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

• King Battistelli's swish penthouse office the Euro Patent Office doesn't want you to see (The Register, 22 March 2017).
  Translations are available in German and French.

• President Battistelli under pressure to improve ‘unacceptable’ social situation at EPO (Kluwer Patent Blog, 21 March 2017).

• Effort to fire EPO president beaten back – again (The Register, 20 March 2017).

• "Euro Patent Office hit with wave of anti-Battistelli letters" (The Register, 16 March 2017).
  Translations are available in German and French.

• "Are The EPO President’s Days Numbered?" (IP-Watch, 15 March 2017).

• "Curtain - Merpel's final EPO post" (The IPKat, 10 March 2017).

• "Euro nations push for vote to axe Europe's patent office president" (The Register, 08 March 2017).

• "Minister Koenders: snel verbeteringen bij Octrooibureau of anders actie ‘op hoog niveau’" (Omroepwest.nl, 07 March 2017).
  Translations are available in English, German and French.

• "Come in King Battistelli, your time at the Euro Patent Office is up" (The Register, 07 March 2017).

• "Euro Patent Office puts itself on Interpol's level, demands access to staff phones and laptops" (The Register, 03 March 2017).

Letter of support from the International and European Public Services Organisation (IPSO), The European Central Bank's recognized trade union for ECB staff to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas on dismissal at the European Patent Office.

Translations are available in English, French and Dutch.

Letter of support sent by Mr. Ghislain Roy, President of CERN Staff Association to the Staff Union of the European Patent Office in

• Munich         - French and English version

• The Hague    - French and English version

SUEPO Munich organises on Wednesday 15 March 2017 a demonstration in Munich in front of the EPO Isar building starting at 12.30h.

Letter sent by the FICSA, the biggest Federation of Civil Servants at UN level, which represents more than 20,000 Staff in the International Civil Service, to President Battistelli on 13 March 2017.