The Comvik Maze

Bastian Best
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An experimental podcast that retells EPO software patent appeal cases in the unsettling, surreal style of a Kafka novel. Each episode unpacks a key decision, dissecting the legal reasoning, its impact on patent strategy, and what it means for practitioners and innovators. Curated with ❤ by European patent attorney Bastian Best, narrated by AI.

Episodes

  1. 06/13/2025

    Invisible Borders

    In this Kafka-style audio story, we follow a lone inventor navigating the surreal bureaucracy of the European Patent Office after their invention—designed to prevent safety breaches before they happen—is dismissed for being “not novel.” Based on real-world decision T 0753/22, Invisible Borders dramatizes the tension between innovation and interpretation, where meaning collapses under procedural rules and every claim must defend itself against what was already known. A haunting parable for patent professionals—and anyone who’s ever tried to cross a line they couldn’t see.

    11 min

  2. 05/22/2025

    The Habitual Stranger

    In this haunting Kafka-style retelling of a real European patent appeal, "The Habitual Stranger" follows an unnamed inventor through the labyrinth of the EPO as he seeks protection for a carpooling algorithm based on human routine. What begins as a quest for technical recognition becomes a surreal meditation on bureaucracy, invention, and the fine line between innovation and administration. Based on decision T 2137/21, this episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating the world of AI, mobility data, and patent law.

    10 min

  3. 05/16/2025

    The Labyrinth of Parameters

    What happens when an inventor’s elegant system for distributed machine learning is reduced to mere abstraction by the European Patent Office? In this Kafka-style retelling of appeal case T 0080/23, we follow the haunting journey of a patent application through rejection, argument, and the cold logic of the Board of Appeal. A must-listen for anyone navigating the foggy boundary between algorithms and invention.

    22 min

  4. 05/08/2025

    The Residual

    A haunting journey through bureaucracy, simulation, and the elusive nature of invention—this Kafka-style retelling of an EPO decision follows an inventor whose breakthrough in gear simulation collapses under the weight of legal formalism. As his method is deemed insufficiently “technical,” we explore the cold machinery of the COMVIK approach and what it means for innovation at the edge of software and engineering. A must-listen for patent professionals navigating the grey zones of computer-implemented inventions. Based on T 1676/23 (Contact modeling/SIEMENS).

    11 min

  5. 04/24/2025

    Filters of Uncertainty

    Trapped in a world of noise and obscurity, an inventor fights to bring clarity through a groundbreaking audio-matching system—only to find himself entangled in the very bureaucracy meant to recognize his innovation. In this Kafkaesque retelling of a real European patent case, we follow his descent through rejection, appeal, and paradox, uncovering the surreal complexity of turning invention into protection. A story of sound, silence, and the struggle for recognition. Based on T 0556/24 (Audio matching/INTRASONICS)

    6 min

  6. 04/17/2025

    The Loop

    In this hauntingly atmospheric short story, inspired by real events and written in the style of Franz Kafka, we follow the inventor as he navigates the bureaucratic labyrinth of patent prosecution. From the problem of unknown vector lengths to the elegant WHILE and CHANGE instructions—and the ensuing legal battle over sufficiency of disclosure—this story captures the surreal tension between innovation and institutional logic. Based on T 0316/22.

    14 min

  7. 04/10/2025

    Silent Turns

    In this haunting tale of invention and rejection, follow the journey of an anonymous inventor as he navigates the labyrinthine corridors of the European Patent Office. A gaming innovation, a promise of technical brilliance—and yet, a verdict that echoes with quiet finality. Was it merely a game, or a glimpse into the absurd machinery of the system? Tune in to discover where the threshold between imagination and innovation truly lies. Based on T 1919/22.

    7 min

  8. 04/03/2025

    The Restriction Machine

    What happens when a machine judges its human operator—and the European Patent Office judges the machine? In this Kafkaesque tale of automation, authority, and rejection, we follow the true story of a patent application that sought to let machines restrict underperforming workers. The result? A bureaucratic spiral through rules, refusal, and relentless logic. Tune in for a chilling retelling of decision T 2619/22, where productivity meets the COMVIK approach—and the system always has the final word.

    10 min

  9. 03/27/2025

    The Labyrinth of the Unseen Gaze

    In a world where every flicker of an eye is scrutinized, Gregor finds himself ensnared in an invisible web of observation—a System that knows his desires before he does. But when its creators seek recognition from the labyrinthine halls of the Patent Office, they are met with indifference, their innovation dismissed as mere automation. As they ascend to the Board of Appeal, the question looms: Is their invention truly novel, or is it merely another cog in the eternal machinery of surveillance? Based on T 0725/21 (Eye-tracking/MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING)

    8 min

  10. 03/19/2025

    The Judgment of the Refractory Walls

    In a world where molten metal devours the very walls that contain it, an inventor dares to tame the chaos with the cold precision of machine learning—only to find their creation entangled in the bureaucratic abyss of the European Patent Office. “The Judgment of the Refractory Walls” is a Kafkaesque retelling of a real patent battle, where innovation collides with legal rigor, and an AI-driven prophecy of furnace decay is sentenced to oblivion. What went wrong? What lessons remain for future inventors? Enter the tribunal, where the fate of ideas hangs in the balance. Based on T 1669/21 23-07-2024

    9 min

  11. 03/14/2025

    The Case of the Missing Connections

    In the dim corridors of the European Patent Office, where innovation often collides with bureaucracy, Mitsubishi Electric’s quest for patent protection takes a Kafkaesque turn. Their invention—a neural network designed for efficiency through sparse connectivity—promised to alleviate the computational burdens of modern AI. Yet, the EPO’s Examining Division deemed it a mere mathematical abstraction, unworthy of patentability. What followed was a legal battle of logic and precedent, as Mitsubishi sought to prove that their algorithm was not just theory, but technical ingenuity. Would the Board of Appeal recognize the hidden technical merits, or would the invention be swallowed by the void of non-technical subject matter? Based on T 0702/20 (Sparsely connected neural network/MITSUBISHI) 07-11-2022

    8 min
  • 11 Episodes

About

An experimental podcast that retells EPO software patent appeal cases in the unsettling, surreal style of a Kafka novel. Each episode unpacks a key decision, dissecting the legal reasoning, its impact on patent strategy, and what it means for practitioners and innovators. Curated with ❤ by European patent attorney Bastian Best, narrated by AI.

Information

  • Creator
    Bastian Best
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    The Comvik Maze