In summaryThis article examines patent protection at the European Patent Office (EPO) and the process by which third parties can go through opposition. In view of the front-loaded nature of EPO opposition proceedings, the proprietor should provide all the evidence, amendments and arguments that they wish to rely on in their reply to the notice of opposition. As such, it is vital to engage European patent opposition specialists in such matters. Another benefit of the EPO opposition process is that parties can effectively file an opposition anonymously (provided they are not opposing their own patent). CommentThe EPO opposition process is a useful tool in the arsenal of businesses to help manage risk and problem patents across many jurisdictions in a single, cost-effective procedure.