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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:windowtext">The Berne
declaration asked us to help to distribute this call
internationally, hope it is of interest to you all.<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:windowtext">Please
redistribute this call to companies or NGOs in your country
which could support this call.<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:windowtext">Regards, <br>
Thomas, PP-CH<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:windowtext">Dear Colleagues</span><span
style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:windowtext" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p>The
president of the European Patent Office (EPO) proposed </span><span
class="hps"><span style="color:windowtext" lang="EN">a € 4,000
bonus payout to each EPO staff person based</span></span><span
style="color:windowtext" lang="EN"> <span class="hps">on 31% of
the € 89.2 million excess in operating result of the EPO in</span>
<span class="hps">2011. </span></span><span
style="color:windowtext" lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="hps"><span
style="color:windowtext" lang="EN"> </span><b><span
style="color:windowtext" lang="EN">We believe that such a
bonus is an adverse incentive. If more patent fees result in
a higher salary there is certainly a conflict of interest
for the employees of the EPO.</span></b></span><span
class="hps"><span style="color:windowtext" lang="EN"> And the
EPO should not generate any surplus anyway. </span></span><span
style="color:windowtext"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="hps"><span
style="color:windowtext" lang="EN"> The proposal was already
endorsed by the EPO's Budget and Finance Committee, where six
states voted against and two abstained. The final decision on
bonus payment will be taken by the 38 member states in the
Administrative Council and requires a majority of three
quarters of the votes (=28,5 states). Presumably, the</span></span><span
style="color:windowtext" lang="EN"> <span class="hps">vote</span>
<span class="hps">will be very</span> <span class="hps">close.</span>
<span class="hps">Each country can</span> <span class="hps">make
the difference.</span></span><span style="color:windowtext"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="hps"><span
style="color:windowtext" lang="EN"> We therefore intend to
send a letter to all delegates at the Administrative Council
(attached). </span></span><span style="color:windowtext"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="hps"><span
style="color:windowtext" lang="EN"> We are now looking for
signatories for the sign-on letter from the 38 Member
Countries of the EPO. </span></span><span
style="color:windowtext" lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="hps"><span
style="color:windowtext" lang="EN"> </span><b><span
style="color:windowtext" lang="EN">Please send your sign-on
(name/organisation/country) to François Meienberg, Berne
Declaration (<a href="mailto:food@evb.ch"><span
style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none">food@evb.ch</span></a>)
<u>till December 6<sup>th </sup>, 2pm</u> (Central European
Time) . </span></b></span><span style="color:windowtext"
lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:windowtext" lang="EN"><span
style="color:windowtext" lang="EN"> </span>Please get in touch
with me, if you have any question in this regard. </span><span
style="color:windowtext"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:windowtext" lang="EN"> Best</span><span
style="color:windowtext"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:windowtext" lang="EN">François
Meienberg<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:windowtext"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<span style="color:windowtext" lang="EN-US">Ps: See following
Article for more information:</span><span style="color:#1F497D"
lang="EN-US"> <a
href="http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/11/13/proposal-for-epo-staff-bonus-raises-questions/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alerts">http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/11/13/proposal-for-epo-staff-bonus-raises-questions/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alerts</a></span>
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