Most active patent opponents at the EPO in 2024

A patent opposition is a formal request filed by a third party to revoke a patent within nine months of grant by the European Patent Office (EPO). Oppositions can be filed anonymously, concealing the identity of the party who filed the opposition. Oppositions are typically filed through an attorney, their firm, or a straw legal entity.

According to EPO public records, the top filer of oppositions in 2024 was global manufacturing giant Henkel, which filed 53 oppositions, primarily targeting Unilever. Following closely behind were two major generic drug companies: Teva and Generics (UK) Ltd.

Strawman Limited and VRI-PMA, a European law firm, are the two main straw man companies for the objection petitioners.

There are many reasons why companies choose to submit opposition requests anonymously, such as avoiding publicly demonstrating their interest in a certain technology field, avoiding complicating future licensing negotiations with potential patent holders by publicizing their opposition, or better protecting their own technological innovations or countering restrictive patent barriers of competitors.