According to the EPO Annual Report & Statistics for 2018 the
number of European patents opposed fell in 2018 following a sharp
rise in patents opposed in 2017. A fall in patents opposed is a
surprise in view of the increases in the numbers of European
patents granted in recent years. Of course, the term within which
opposition must be filed is nine months from patent grant, and
experience indicates that oppositions are most typically filed
close to the end of the nine-month term. As a result, the number of
patents granted in a year is not the same as the number of patents
which are opposable in that year. However, recent EPO annual
reports have provided information, not only on the numbers of
patents granted each year, but also on the numbers of patents
opposable, which have been increasing in line with numbers of
patents granted.
