The Habitual Stranger

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.

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.

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.

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).

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)