Fast-track opposition procedure coming soon

The Trade Marks (Fast Track Opposition) (Amendment) Rules 2013 will come into operation on 1 October. While "primarily aimed at improving SMEs [sic] access to justice at  a cost proportionate to the complexity of the dispute at stake" (according to the Patent Office's propaganda sheet here) it will no doubt facilitate the sort of bullying-by-spurious-opposition that is often the bane of SMEs' [sic!] lives.