06/10/2015
IPKat Blog, "EPO queue jumping part 2 - Don't be French"
IPKat understands that for second filings, French files have been recently bumped from priority 1 to priority 4. Such a decision is troubling in the light of the frosty relations between Mr Battistelli and the French government. State Secretary for the Digital Economy, Axelle Lemaire had even declared at the European Inventor Award ceremony on 11 June 2015:
"While it's not the object of our meeting this morning, the French government knows of the social difficulties that are expressed within the EPO and in this regard, the Office has an exemplary duty of absolute transparency in the rights of employees working there."