Re: [Patents] EPO and swpatents

[<xdrudis@tinet.org>]

> I think it is simply money. The EPO (like the USPTO and the 
> Japanese patent
> office) is fully self-funding. More patents == more money == more 
> people ==
> bigger organisation == more (political) influence.
> 
> > I have the impression that EPO is not so much based upon 
> ideology and
> > public service, instead it is more business oriented, easily 
> controlled> by greedy lawyers that see the treatment (i.e. money 
> tweaking) of the
> > customer as their main goal, not to have a sane patent/copyright 
> system> working.
> > Does anyone share my opinion, and in that case, what to do about it?
> 
> I share it. I think an essential first step is the de-coupling of 
> the funding 
> of the patent offices from the amount of patents they grant. I 
> would even
> propose to reverse the relation, and subsidise them for every 
> patent application
> they *reject*.
> 
> Bye for now,
> Ward.
> 

I'd say something similar, together with no accoutability because 
of being a diplomatic institution, and a kind of denial of service 
attack. Denying an application requires justification and may cause
recourse. Granting it ensures revenue and the applicant won't complain.
The EPO only sees part of their "customers", those who ask for patents,
those who are restricted from a free market because of patents are 
not speaking to the EPO, may not even now it is its fault. I think 
Smets explained it quite well at Dorint, Brussels, last wednesday.

Some links on the EPO

http://patents.caliu.info/usoeb/index.en.html

http://cip.umd.edu/Aigrain.htm
(specially question 9)