Welcome to EPOnia, the strange land of European patents that is outside the law

Imagine a country where the chief executive of an organisation can allegedly assault a member of staff, but when the latter goes to a labour tribunal to obtain compensation, the complainant is told that nothing can be done, because the chief executive enjoys legal immunity from prosecution. Possible in a distant banana

 republic, you might think, but out of the question here in Europe. And yet the alleged assault and rejection of the complaint on the grounds of immunity did indeed take place in Europe a couple of decades ago. They occurred in EPOnia, a strange land that is both in Europe, and yet not a part of it.