Once the notice of opposition is examined by the responsible bodies of a given IP Office, the opposition is either accepted or rejected. For the opposition to be valid, a fee must be paid by the opposing party.
In the case of acceptance, the opposing party and the opposed applicant will be notified by the IP office. Time limits and the next steps will be determined.
In most cases, a period during which the two parties are encouraged to negotiate an amicable solution follows. This is known as the cooling-off period. If the parties do not reach an agreement, the opponent is allowed to provide any additional evidence that would strengthen their case.