European Patents Opposed
Based on information in the EPO's "Bulletin
Search" database, the number of patents opposed in 2019
increased to around 3750. This is about 25% higher than the
more-or-less uniform level which prevailed from 2011 to 2016. The
increase in patents opposed since 2016 follows, but has not kept
pace with, the increase in the numbers of patents granted each year
since 2015. The estimated percentage of all granted European
patents which are opposed, once around 4%, is now about 3%.
First Instance Opposition Proceedings
The EPO Annual Reports up to 2018 provide information on first
instance opposition proceedings according to which the number of
first instance decisions on oppositions each year more than kept
pace with the number of patents newly opposed each year.
Unfortunately, neither the EPO's "Patent Index" nor
its "Patent Review" for 2019 provide corresponding
information, although the "Patent Review" does say that
at the end of
