The "cushy" lifestyle of EPO employees

The European Patent Office, known as the EPO for short, has its headquarters in Munich.

Being an international organisation, many of the employees are native English-speakers and thus also members/readers of TT.

If you go to Google Maps and do a search for EPO, Munich, the first result that comes up reads as follows:

"EPO employees are known for their cushy lifestyle. They get a generous holiday allowance (30 days like any other german company), pay no tax (there is taxation, just not the german income tax), and enjoy other benefits too. So if you're ever out on the lash with an EPO employee, make sure it's them who gets the extra round of beers in."

It's not clear how Google came to index this text. Although Google labels the text as "User-generated content" it doesn't link back to the original source.

We know, however, that the text is taken directly from the EPO wiki page on TT. It was first written in July 2005, although it's been edited slightly a number of times since.

Anyway, apparently higher management are "rather concerned" about this description. Two separate employees have independently written to me about it. Although I'm not sure why the concern exactly. The text is, to the best of my knowledge, accurate and fair.

The attached photo is the EPO headquarters building in Munich, taken from Wikipedia - European Patent Office. See also the official EPO website as well as further TT topics discussing the EPO.

BIG can of worms this one!

Plenty of full time EPO employees are aware of their relatively privileged position and have their eyes open to the issues of those that aren't.

Eg: Sometimes you get a post on here about schools along the lines of: "Just send your kids to the International School" and they realise that isn't an option for the majority of people.

There are PLENTY of people who work at the EPO, multilingual, experienced and qualified, who are there through Zeitarbeit and taking home not much more than EUR 1500 a month.

Haha, those are the ones allowed to stand near the cake but they can't have it and they absolutely may not eat it.

Anyone whinging about the perks that the EPO lot get is either jealous, or, in the case of the upper management mentioned above, seriously lacking in something useful to do. Oh nosers, the public might find out that we is making a mint for doing nothing. Public outcry will cause the gravy train to be derailed and smack into Hackerbrücke. Yikes, more people might start applying for the positions that we advertise on our website and the HR department might have to cancel their afternoon massages and do a little work. "Eeks! It must be stopped, distaster must be averted, eh, we are rather concerned. Miss Fluffington, have my tee-off time pushed back to 4pm will you? I have to address this confounded Toytown issue. Some pesky blighter seems to have outed us."

I work with a lot of people that work there.

Their work is so so important to them that they can only manage an appointment after work hours! Thus forcing me to work late!

I would hate to have a job where I make someone late home!

My German neighbour works for the EPO about 80% and her 3 kids go to their associated school/kindergarten. I see no evidence of a cushy lifestyle though as I imagine she is just a "local" employee with the much valued fringe benefit of the schools?

I have also been told, but not heard personally, about ex-pat EPO employees boasting about their tax free status and spending power in front of others less well heeled. Of course, that could create jealousy and resentment... it's only human.

Haha, am visualising certain EPO employees standing in the queue at McDonalds and hurling a bit of hoorah Henry abuse at young Adnan behind the counter. Tis no wonder higher management are "rather concerned". They'll be expecting the peasants to revolt and hordes of lower paid peoples to show up at HQ with flaming torches (patent pending) and pitchforks (pat: 342347GSF/127).

The EPO is a very important organisation and run very efficiently. As a regular patent filer of course I can always complain about the costs. Reading Examination Reports highlights just how hard it must be to examine state-of-the-art works where the Examiner only has a general background. As for speaking, reading and writing three languages fluently, well, let's just say that this lingually-challenged Cockney wouldn't know where to begin. I'll stick to the easy bit of inventing, thanks.

Now seriously, this isn't a dig at the USA at all, but the USPTO is in a right mess at this time. Long delays and backlogs, examiners who only seem to have a bare-minimum of computer literacy (they granted a US Patent on a beamexpander, for Pete's sake!!! They'll be granting patents on mud next), and as far as I can work out (EPO employees may like to confirm), deteriorating conditions for the staff... explaining the spiral downwards.

If any senior EPO staff are reading this, guys, five PCT apps last year alone and I'm a self-employed struggler. An invite to one of the office parties would be nice. Thanks.

Anyone jealous of the conditions there could just apply to work there, no? If all one does there is file nails, well anyone can do that, right?

Well, if there is that much work on then maybe they could start a shift system, 4 hours on and 4 hours off.

at present there are few permanent administrative postitions at the EPO and temporary staff are informed their positions are only temporary and likely to remain so at least for the immediate future.

examination staff, especially native English speakers, are needed at the moment if anyone suitable wants to apply (here)!

What about sub-contract Examination for say, opto-mechanical and laser systems? Knowledge of the patent process, excellent. Knowledge of languages, pants.

Sin, laser dood, you're not even able to read the ad for the job. I'd let this one slide if I were you.

for examiner positions, if the applicant´s technical knowledge is impressive enough, the EPO may still hire them so it´s definitely worth a try. in-house language courses can then be offered later on.

Readin', wassat then?

My technical knowledge is impressive in my field, Treacle. It's just the in-house language courses offered later on that scare me.

can not even the ´cushy lifestyle´ rumour tempt you?

Have you ever been on the answering end of an Examination Report? That's difficult enough. Now imagine being on the originating end. It's not what I would call "cushy".

and the new recycled-paper flimsy ones are just rotten I bet.

If they are concerned they should maybe look at their PR opportunities to counter this image.

I don't know if it is accurate to insinuate that an EPO employee earns more than any other TTer and thus should be buying everyone drinks.

This search on Google Map kind of reminds me of a year or so back, where if you typed in 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' into Google, then clicked on the 'I'm feeling lucky' button there were all kinds of funny texts showing up that shouldn't have been there.

I'd rather work at Google than EPO- sounds more fun.

EPO, the workers there hit the lotto every month with their paycheques...

Did you ever meet the FAT CAT IT Contractors who work there ..?

Disneyland money!!

Having attended the associated school, I can tell you that 90% of the school population are quite ordinary children (apart from them often speaking 2 to 3 languages) and there aren't any signs of them coming from a specifically cushy lifestyle household. The other 10%, where it's more obvious they come from higher class backgrounds, interestingly mostly have parents who do not work at the EPO.

Whilst the conditions at the EPO certainly aren't the worst, its hardly the case that everyone who works there lives in a villa in Grünwald and has at least three cars. I wouldn't say that especially in Munich, which has a very high number of people earning quite a lot, EPO employees are that much better off than many others who are in other occupations.

note also that many EPO employees do not choose to send their kids to the European School even though it´s available free of charge to them.

Valleywag: Googler's vent: working here sucks too

Haha, spat me coffee out on that one. The Eagle, the original fat cat IT contractor himself. Sitting on a beach earning 20%

Dan84, have you been peeping over my hedge again. I've warned you about that once before. Besides, the Aston is only borrowed.

What I don't understand is why do EPO employees not pay income tax???

I too would spit out my coffee at the FAT CAT jibe, but at €400 a hundred grams I feel that would be wasteful

regards

An EPO Fat cat IT Contractor

Article 16 of the European Patent Convention.

OK. Enlighten me. Your answer went right over my head.

EPO employees are ´European Civil Servants´ & therefore liable to pay tax in all European (member state?) nations. this is covered in the EPO Internal Tax.
there are other places of work in Munich which operate the same way I believe.

@MS That just says they don't have to pay it. It doesn't say why. (Though an EPO employee is trying to rationalise it to me).

I consider most of my European servants to be exempt from tax, so long as they remain civil. The non-European ones just get paid in scraps of food and live in a shed at the bottom of the garden, so it doesn't really matter. Actually they don't matter at all, lazy bastards that they are. I only keep them around to fill the required racial quotas to stop those damn human rights activists from getting on my case. Plus, one or two of the more attractive ones are worth a grope from time to time.

We have now got naff recycled paper (grey coloured and wafer thin) which blocks the printers every 5 mins! I wouldn't be too impressed if I got a letter on this paper


The EPO is a self-funding organisation i.e punters like Sin pay fees to process their patent application/uphold their patent which then pay our salaries (amongst other things). Hence - the more applications we receive the more money comes in etc. We do not pay anything into the German state system (we have private health insurance), i.e. no national insurance contributions, church tax, solidarity tax etc etc therefore we can also claim nothing from them in return i.e unemployment benefit. Presumably this is part of the reason, however the EPO is not unique in paying no tax - plenty of other international organisations around in the same boat with better benefits.

As someone has already pointed out, the IT contractors are probably raking in far more than the average EPO worker, even once tax is deducted!

Thanks MG. At last I can explain to my children my habit, "Sorry, son, no food today I'm afraid. Daddy has to pay his patenting fees."

I have this awful premonition that I'll go the way of van Gogh and be massively rich and famous the very moment after I've snuffed it.

EDIT: Wait a bloody second!!! "Punters"??? "Clients", surely.

Benefactors?

But don't benefactors get benefits?

Patents can be a right pain in the arse.

Latest from my patent lawyer:


I am only making a frigging light bulb in a holder, but you have to be so bloody careful 'cos they grant patents on porridge recipes these days.

I agree the US system is even worse 'cos they grant dafter patents and the US legal system means you can never reclaim your legal fees (even when you win) so big guys can harass little guys even when their cases are crap.

'Applicants' rather than 'clients' or 'customers', Sin

Did you say applicants?

Yes I did... read my post...

Does anyone know how much EPO employees earn? Those doing administration jobs and patent examiners are especially interesting as they make up the majority of the workforce. Do they take home 1K EUR, 2K, 4K, 8K a month or what? 'A lot' is entirely subjective.

JE you can get a search done for much cheaper than that. File a PCT, it'll only cost you a couple thousand. And not per country.

'OW MUCH???

I'd get yourself a Patent Attorney without a dirty great big fin sticking out the back of his suit, JE.

A friend of mine works for a company that does that kind of thing for people but she didn't have a card to give me so I don't remember the name... here in town too. Starts with a B.

@Gen, so long as it's not Boehmert, you'll be alright.

No, had either a ck or a gg in the middle -- Buchegger? Buchecker? Baedeker?

*shudder* patent attorneys

Enjoying perks due to ones' job is not a novel concept- i.e. civil servants working for a government in a foreign country tend to be taken care of rather well by their government. That said, if my french were less rusty and my german closer to fluent, oh, and if I were European, I would love to work at the EPO. It would make taking an admin type job just a bit less frustrating...

Patent attorneys often earn more than patent examiners which is why they take the exam to become qualified then leave the EPO.

It's hard to say what ppl earn at the EPO as there is the basic salary, spread across different Grade and step levels, plus based on previous work experience and qualifications a certain % can be added on top of that, plus depending on allowances for languages, children etc, so it's very likely that no 2 people earn the same amount of money.

That said, in administration the wages are ok (starting around €2k/month I believe), but a patent examiner who has worked there for years could easily earn €8,000/month or more before the [internal] tax. Compared to those in the industry, it is apparently, extremely crap. On top of that they are expected to examine patents in 3 languages!

Edit: £ sign corrected to € sign.