Third Party Observations (TPOs)

A submission made by a third party to bring the patent office's attention to additional arguments, prior art, or both.  Provided they are submitted before the patent office has made the formal decision to grant a patent, these submissions will be taken into consideration.  Third Party Observations (TPOs) can be a cost effective way of challenging a patent application.  Furthermore, since they can be submitted anonymously, they can help avoid any commercial or reputational consequences that might result from such a challenge.