IPKat Blog, "What is eating the EPO ?"
IPKat publishes a summary of the recents events at the EPO and outlines the issues now facing the EPO: "The current unrest is not only at the level of the Examiners and regular employees, but even within the exalted ranks of the Boards of Appeal and Enlarged Board."
The interview of Mr Battistelli and Mr Kongstad (Chairman of the Administrative Council) in Managing IP and, in particular, their statements concerning "transparency and openness" attracted angry rebuttals in the IPKat comments: "the staff representatives have been excluded from the two previous Administrative Council meetings; the introduction of a new system of election of staff representatives by the really-not-very-democratic single non-transferrable vote; the reference to the "codex of staff regulations" which is 1,200 pages long and actually not available publicly".
The comments of Mr Battistelli on his blog caused yet more anger, in particular "I would also urge all commentators, especially those having a legal background, to be mindful in their public expression on a case which is still under investigation, in order to protect the rights of the defence and to guarantee the impartiality of the investigation under the supervision of the Administrative Council which is the decision making body." Many have seen this as a threat, and an unwelcome one.