tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post1494347674126232045..comments2024-03-28T13:45:42.289+00:00Comments on The IPKat: "Peace for our time", or another wasted trip to Munich?Verónica Rodríguez Arguijohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05763207846940036921noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-43195346702416426812015-03-22T14:37:53.939+00:002015-03-22T14:37:53.939+00:00I am not a cats Paw said "Do you by any chanc...I am not a cats Paw said <i>"Do you by any chance work for the EPO investigation unit ? If not, you should consider applying.<br />I hear that they need people with your kind of skills."</i> <br /><br />What sort of skills are those?<br /><br />See <a href="http://ipnoncredere.blogspot.co.uk" rel="nofollow">my blog</a> for a clue as to whether I am in the investigation unit. If I am, I need to investigate myself.Meldrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09841440718012449720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-55355173505164362412015-03-21T21:08:31.615+00:002015-03-21T21:08:31.615+00:00The EPO stagnates without the impulse of the indiv...The EPO stagnates without the impulse of the individual. The impulse dies away without the sympathy of the EPO.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-64378739936264384572015-03-21T20:16:54.504+00:002015-03-21T20:16:54.504+00:00"She might have signaled to the President, fo..."She might have signaled to the President, for example, that the UK Delegation might not be able to avoid entirely any discussion on the Dutch court decision in the AC, ..."<br /><br />Unless of course sufficent Wads of Wonga were forthcoming ...Wads of Wonganoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-77828002076097933092015-03-21T11:44:53.794+00:002015-03-21T11:44:53.794+00:00The timing of the visit appears to suggest that it...The timing of the visit appears to suggest that it may be more than mere reciprocating of the visit by the President. She might have signaled to the President, for example, that the UK Delegation might not be able to avoid entirely any discussion on the Dutch court decision in the AC, despite the announcement of the President that the thing will be ignored.<br /><br />I think that such might wipe the smile away.<br /><br />Barbi<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-28487026731138630112015-03-21T10:56:52.282+00:002015-03-21T10:56:52.282+00:00No doubt the visit was nothing more than reciproca...No doubt the visit was nothing more than reciprocating Mr Batistelli's visit to the UKIPO a year ago as reported in the IPO's Steering Board Minutes of the March 2014 meeting: <br /><br /><i>5.2 The visit of President of the European Patent Organisation (EPO), Mr Battistelli had been successful. Mr Gilbert had also attended the dinner. The EPO was very important for British business and internationally in terms of how well the global patent system worked. The visit had provided the opportunity for lots of detailed discussions which had given the IPO a better understanding of approach taken by the EPO. It had also allowed Mr Battistelli to have a fuller understanding of the full range of IPO activity. The visit had also included a tour of the House of Lords.</i><br /><br />Ronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-47766947642042277232015-03-21T10:14:07.782+00:002015-03-21T10:14:07.782+00:00So the Minister has heard about boards, councils, ...So the Minister has heard about boards, councils, whatever you call them, that are supposed to be independent, but are not, and they appear to disagree on something that your average person hardly can follow. To make things wors, some Dutch court has gotten mixed up in the whole thing. Thus, she sent a strong message by coming to the EPO that, whatever the UK delegation votes for, has her full support, until she expressly denies it. The option to deny is important for a politician, because, nothing is true until officially denied.<br />She got nice red book, which looks just fine on the picture so she is smiling. The President is not smiling, perhaps, because, he does not really want to part with this fine red book, or maybe because, she shared not only the common views with him. But all that is just reading from tea leaves in the wind of change. <br /><br />Barbi.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-73129437360287592422015-03-21T09:32:00.167+00:002015-03-21T09:32:00.167+00:00Meldrew old chap referring to you question about f...Meldrew old chap referring to you question about finding Hitler whimsical, I never stated or suggested that "Hitler is whimsical".<br /><br />In fact what I indicated was that the comparison between Neville Chamberlain's trip to Munich to meet the Austrian despot and Baroness "Neville's" trip to Munich to meet the French despot could be perceived as a whimsical analogy.<br /><br />Quite how you managed to reduce that to "you find Hitler whimisical ?" I cannot understand.<br /><br />Do you by any chance work for the EPO investigation unit ? If not, you should consider applying.<br />I hear that they need people with your kind of skills.I am not a cat's pawnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-70050500654513573522015-03-21T08:47:58.650+00:002015-03-21T08:47:58.650+00:00Hitler on Ice<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybuKQf9p5jg" rel="nofollow"> Hitler on Ice</a>cyrusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-54749242064326554662015-03-21T07:46:14.612+00:002015-03-21T07:46:14.612+00:00Meldrew asked at 21:45:
You find Hitler whimsica...Meldrew asked at 21:45:<br /><br /><i> You find Hitler whimsical? </i><br /><br />Meldrew, seriously? Have you never seen Mel Brook's History of the World Part I (1981)? Check out the <a href="www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybuKQf9p5jg" rel="nofollow"> Hilter on Ice </a> scene. <br /><br />Yellow card for "bowdlerised" <i>ad hominem</i> attack<br /><br />US Anon ......................... 2<br />Meldrew/An Observer ..... 0Sir Grantsalotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-949235496190621232015-03-21T01:21:43.136+00:002015-03-21T01:21:43.136+00:00Well Meldrew,
Your post then was only all the mor...Well Meldrew,<br /><br />Your post then was only all the more bereft of value.<br /><br />May I suggest you work on that?THE US anonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-25011781606392013272015-03-20T23:46:45.040+00:002015-03-20T23:46:45.040+00:00The U.S. Anon,
I assure you there was no guise of...The U.S. Anon,<br /><br />I assure you there was no guise of politeness. <br /><br />I do not appease.<br /><br />Meldrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09841440718012449720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-43085280444523730982015-03-20T22:50:51.446+00:002015-03-20T22:50:51.446+00:00Lady Kaga replies to Zazie:
Mr Braendli predicted ...Lady Kaga replies to Zazie:<br />Mr Braendli predicted that once the EPO reached the dimension of over 3500 employees it would be dominated by gridy stupid bureaucrats. Isn't is so?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-22809412106038405062015-03-20T22:24:41.275+00:002015-03-20T22:24:41.275+00:00The two quotations from Managing IP's intervie...The two quotations from Managing IP's interview with the Baroness selected by L'angelo Misterioso puzzle me. In the first she refers to the Administrative Council as "the Board". In the second she again uses the term "Board":<br /><br />"Regarding Battistelli, she said: ‘He’s been re-elected and we are part of the Board that supports him. The thing is to find a positive way forward in this incredibly important area.”"<br /><br />"Asked about the independence of the Boards of Appeal, she added: ‘You need to have a Board with the right culture and the right objectives and agreement on a modern governance.<br />That would always be our approach from Britain, but we recognise we work with other member states. There is a lot of work going on anyway.”"<br /><br />Maybe it's just the context that is missing here, but I'm afraid the two "Boards" she is referring to are, in her mind, one and the same. In any case it makes no sense to suggest that the Boards of Appeal should have "the right culture and the right objectives and agreement on a modern governance".Pippi Langstrumpfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-24962872031623463702015-03-20T22:20:15.602+00:002015-03-20T22:20:15.602+00:00My dear friend Meldrew,
You can do whatever it is...My dear friend Meldrew,<br /><br />You can do whatever it is that pleases you in the privacy of your own abode.<br /><br />I care not the least.<br /><br />However, if you do attempt to hold a conversation, or failing that, a legal discussion, your choice of such things as "<i>- suggest that you are an ************ ***** with your ***** up your *** and your ***** in neutral.</i>" is decidedly a rather poor choice.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, you list your other option as if that option is any different.<br /><br />It is not.<br /><br />Ad hominem under the guise of politeness reamians ad hominem, and sinc eyou have not advanced any legally sound position, all that you yourself have done is flap your gums with no effect.<br /><br />It is not I that confuses movement with action, nor I that has confused loud (or gentle) words with <b>effective</b> words.<br /><br />I recommend that you expand your options and choose neither of what you present.THE US anonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-18990760227866126502015-03-20T21:45:01.967+00:002015-03-20T21:45:01.967+00:00As my previous post was pulled by a Kat with sensi...As my previous post was pulled by a Kat with sensitive ears, I submit a bowdlerised version for the sensitive.<br /><br />THE US anon..<br /><br />Interesting, I could either:- <br /><br />- respond that confusing movement with action, and confusing loud words with effective deed, is an approach that is typical of our American cousins; or<br /><br />- suggest that you are an ************ ***** with your ***** up your *** and your ***** in neutral.<br /><br />Which is the more effective argument?<br /><br />The latter is more satisfying to my spleen but spoilt because an ************ ***** by definition has no *****.<br /><br />The former is more effective, both through being smugly patronising and reinforcing the point that loud and offensive words do not necessarily get the intended results, and indeed can be counter-productive.<br /><br />Which approach do you recommend?<br /><br /><br />PS "Anonymous I'm not a cat's paw" - You find Hitler <i><b>whimsical</b></i>?Meldrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09841440718012449720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-7878716547294129772015-03-20T21:33:52.888+00:002015-03-20T21:33:52.888+00:00Lady Kaga,
please tell me what Mr Braendli predic...Lady Kaga, <br />please tell me what Mr Braendli predicted and when. I have not heard of it.Zazienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-18090977404999116732015-03-20T20:43:52.649+00:002015-03-20T20:43:52.649+00:00The EPO President sees many high-ranking officials...The EPO President sees many high-ranking officials, but surprisingly this visit is given much attention on the EPO website, merely a few weeks after the IPKat insinuated that this visit might bring a turn of events at the EPO ?<br /><br />Could it be that Battistelli has politely extended a "bras d'honneur" to the Kat ?FormerExaminernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-32856327657923105912015-03-20T17:17:29.540+00:002015-03-20T17:17:29.540+00:00The Neville+Munich association just begged for the...The Neville+Munich association just begged for the "Peace for our time" quip, and is in my opinion entirely appropriate. <br /><br />This type of allusion to Chamberlain is also rather commonplace in the British media. A recent example came from the Independent's cartoonist Dave Brown. He represented PM Cameron standing before a microphone in the same <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/MunichAgreement.jpg" rel="nofollow">pose</a> as his predecessor 77 years ago and uttering "plaice in [sic] our time". The subject was... fishing quotas, of all things.<br /><br />The coincidence also didn't escape a very prescient commenter in a particularly brilliant piece of doggerel: <a href="http://ipkitten.blogspot.com/2015/03/wednesday-whimsies-1.html?showComment=1426079599368#c4865540916910585702" rel="nofollow">Neville and Munich not a good fit<br /></a>.<br /><br />I was myself skeptical as to the outcome of the meeting, but kept it to myself. As Merpel notes, Britain is heading for a general election, and the meltdown at the EPO is clearly a matter for the executive. I can't see a mere Baroness make trouble for her camp.<br /><br />Furthermore, if the issue is framed as a simple labour relation problem between an omniscient president and unruly overprivileged loafers, rather than a severe issue of governance, accountability and the rule of law, then I would be extremely surprised to see Mrs. Neville-Rolfe to be of any assistance in this matter.<br /><br />Back in 2009, before she was made a peer, Mrs. Neville-Rolfe had been invited to give testimony before a <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200910/jtselect/jtrights/5/5i.pdf" rel="nofollow">joint committee of parliament</a> investigating on the matter of the respect of human rights by British companies.<br /><br />Tesco's foreign operations had <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8127477.stm" rel="nofollow">attracted quite a bit attention</a>, to the point that US presidential candidate Barack O. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/30_06_09_obama_letter_tesco.pdf" rel="nofollow">wrote their CEO</a> to urge him to accept to meet with their subsidiary's union representatives.<br /><br />Nothing came out of it, and a US Union called UFCW submitted a <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200910/jtselect/jtrights/5/5we12.htm" rel="nofollow">memorandum</a> to the parliamentary committee recapitulating their " attempts to engage with Tesco". (One should readily find all statements and counter-statements on the parliament's web site.)<br /><br />A passage of the document sounds eerily familiar:<br /><br /><i>In this note, I would like to put on record our disagreement with some of the statements made by the Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs, Ms Lucy Neville-Rolfe in the oral hearing. Ms Neville-Rolfe stated several times that the complaints made in the UNI reports were untrue, but provided no evidence to support her allegation. She also said:<br /><br />"The trade unions in the United States haven't come along in a collaborative and constructive way in quite the way that I described for Usdaw."</i><br /><br />Seeing that, I would be have been extremely surprised that Monsieur B. and Madame la Baronnesse wouldn't be able to find common ground... But I had a still a faint scintilla of hope, and refrained from making any prediction. Now I can say: I should have told you so...<br />Roufousse T. Fairflynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-83548806583122588812015-03-20T16:13:58.791+00:002015-03-20T16:13:58.791+00:00Well spoken US anon.
There's an unhealthy ten...Well spoken US anon.<br /><br />There's an unhealthy tendency to overdo this Godwin business.<br /><br />Under the given circumstances it appears quite permissible to draw a historical analogy based on the general concept of "appeasement of a despot". <br /><br />The analogy may appear whimsical to some but surely it can be fairly said that "whimsicality" is a paw-mark of the IPKat.I'm not a cat's pawnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-18861247116563930382015-03-20T15:38:53.826+00:002015-03-20T15:38:53.826+00:00US Anon ......................... 1
Meldrew/An Obs...US Anon ......................... 1<br />Meldrew/An Observer ..... 0Sir Grantsalotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-42988116121791641692015-03-20T15:34:15.259+00:002015-03-20T15:34:15.259+00:00This Communiqué is the one published by the EPO on...This Communiqué is the one published by the EPO on their own website. It is not even a joint Communiqué.<br />So it reflects only the EPO's version of the meeting (with a not so subtle reminder that the EPO "helped" the IPO in 2014).<br />By now, I have my own opinion of the accuracy and veracity of EPO Communiqués. <br />Macavitynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-80607636286848578372015-03-20T14:21:40.834+00:002015-03-20T14:21:40.834+00:00I would point out to both Meldrew and An Observer ...I would point out to both Meldrew and An Observer that you have actually engaged in the anti-Godwin's law fallacy.<br /><br />This is a case in particular where the analogy of "appeasement" <b>in a political setting</b> can be seen to be a short sighted poorly made decision.<br /><br />Just because the notion involved a rather notorious German regime, does not make the notion any less applicable to those instances of lack of political backbone.<br /><br />Instead, by the attempt to label, you are engaging in an attempt to NOT discuss what should be discussed.THE US anonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-75519245177720254292015-03-20T14:07:48.948+00:002015-03-20T14:07:48.948+00:00You may be interested in this:
‘Behavior of Benoî...You may be interested in this:<br /><br />‘Behavior of Benoît Battistelli is bad for the EPO’s reputation’<br /><br />By Kluwer UPC News blogger<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow">http://kluwerpatentblog.com/2015/03/20/behavior-benoit-battistelli-is-bad-for-the-epos-reputation/</a><br />And now for something completely differentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-10524017933645755312015-03-20T13:56:03.713+00:002015-03-20T13:56:03.713+00:00This may be an example of the art of British under...This may be an example of the art of <a href="https://twitter.com/SoVeryBritish/status/575374261323456512" rel="nofollow">British understatement</a>.Meldrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09841440718012449720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-47422658639033214872015-03-20T13:21:30.134+00:002015-03-20T13:21:30.134+00:00I'm with Millipede. If there were anything goi...I'm with Millipede. If there were anything going on, behind the scenes, you are not going to learn what it is from mere Press releases.<br /><br />If you are optimistic though, you can read between the lines which say, inter alia:<br /><br />...."find a way forward"...<br /><br />..."agreement on a modern governance"......<br /><br />but most especially:<br /><br />..."there is a lot going on"....<br /><br />and take a soupcon of comfort from that.<br /><br />MaxDreinoreply@blogger.com