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Posted in Europe, Patents at 1:55 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Related: Shame on the German Media for the Media Blackout Surrounding EPO Protests in Munich (and Sometimes Berlin)
Will a site redesign such at this help compel journalists to care?
Summary: Further reaffirming our observations, it seems as though the German media, financially connected to the German government, simply overlooks the plight of EPO staff
A COUPLE of weeks ago we got told that while EPO scandals get mostly ignored by German media, relatively small protests (unrelated to these scandals) receive sympathy from German journalists and publishers are willing to lend a ear.
Not too long ago the EPO granted patents on genetics and there was a lot of press coverage about it. The other day there was also this article in English in the German media, regarding an issue we tackled last year. To quote:
=> patents on genetics | ↺ this article in English | an issue we tackled last year
Dozens of protesters, six brewery horses and a marching band have demonstrated in front of the European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich to object to a patent by beer giants Carlsberg and Heineken.In 2016, the two companies jointly patented a strain of barley that improved the taste of beer and allows for a more energy-efficient brewing process.The beer patents haven’t gone down well with Germans, a nation proud of its centuries-old tradition of barley cultivation and beer brewing. Breweries fear financial losses if patents on crops become the new normal, and activists believe food security is under threat.
“As usual, and perhaps due to the agenda of media owners, German media doesn’t care about the most important scandals and instead focuses on smaller ones.”“Dozens of protesters” have apparently attracted more media attention than thousands of EPO employees protesting against their own employer. As usual, and perhaps due to the agenda of media owners, German media doesn’t care about the most important scandals and instead focuses on smaller ones. There was also coverage in German, e.g. this article. As someone put it, “well it catches ppl where they are. Covering a #beer story stands symbolic for what #patents are doing. people in #germany are difficult to mobalize. but with beer you even get the most conservatist to act.”
=> ↺ this article | ↺ someone put it
The only person in the German media who bothered with EPO scandals lately was Stefan Krempl, who published this article which said: “Der Verwaltungsrat für das Europäische Patentamt hat erste Schritte eingeleitet, um Benoît Battistelli vertragsgerecht Ende Juni 2018 als Präsidenten der Behörde abzulösen. In seiner Periode war und ist der soziale Unfrieden groß.”
“We can’t stress this often enough as there’s an element of complicity to it.”A translation of the entire article will hopefully be published by SUEPO at some point. It has already taken note of it and anger is directed at Battistelli in the comments.
=> ↺ already taken note of it | ↺ anger is directed at Battistelli in the comments
When the German media does bother covering relatively small protests but not far bigger protests it makes one wonder about the government's and its media’s (connected to the government by its budget) agenda. We can’t stress this often enough as there’s an element of complicity to it. █
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