EPO’s opposition matters conference: key takeaways

The European Patent Office’s ( EPO) annual opposition matters conference took place on November 23-24 and provided some interesting insights into the latest developments in opposition proceedings at the EPO.

The conference covered various procedural and substantive aspects of opposition proceedings, such as the filing of auxiliary requests, the taking of evidence, and how to convince the opposition division on inventive step.

The presentations provided a useful introduction to opposition matters for inexperienced representatives, while serving as a helpful reminder for well-seasoned opponents. However, the most interesting aspects of the conference came from the exchanges of experience between the opposition division members and the participating European patent attorneys.

Useful takeaways from this year’s conference included:

1. The digital transformation of opposition proceedings is here to stay.