Celonis hits back with new patent suits against SAP in Munich

Since mid-2025, the two parties have been battling over ERP software in various courts. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is the integrated management of main business processes, often in real time and mediated by software and technology.

Munich start-up Celonis develops software that enables so-called process mining. This involves digitally mapping business processes and analysing them for hidden process knowledge. Companies can then analyse their workflows in various areas, such as supply chain management, accounting and human resources, and improve operational processes.

According to a report in the Handelsblatt newspaper, customers such as BMW, BP and GE Healthcare say they have achieved significant savings with this software. Market researchers regard Celonis as the number one in process mining and one of Germany’s most valuable start-ups.

In March 2021, German software group SAP acquired Berlin-based Signavio, which also specialises in business process management software. The DAX-listed company, based in Walldorf in southern Germany, now has programmes with similar functions to those of Celonis.

Celonis accuses SAP of anti-competitive behaviour by making it more difficult for competitors to access company data collected and stored using SAP software, in order to give Signavio an advantage.

In spring, the software developer filed an antitrust claim at the San Francisco Division of the Northern District Court of California. Celonis argues that SAP charges customers very high fees when programmes from other manufacturers access SAP systems via interfaces.

In late June, the US Court dismissed most of Celonis’ claim (case ID: 25-cv-02519-VC). However, the judge allowed Celonis’ lawyers to amend their case and refile the claims, which the company then did.

Battleground Munich

Days before the Californian court published its decision, SAP launched a patent infringement action at the UPC over its EP 3 913 496. The case is pending at the local division Düsseldorf. Presiding judge Ronny Thomas and judges Jule Schumacher and Walter Schober will hear the case (case ID: UPC_CFI_558/2025). At the beginning of last week, SAP also sued Celonis over four of its US patents at the District Court of Delaware (case ID: 1:2025cv01229).

Now Celonis has in turn filed infringement actions over some of its own patents in the US and Germany. At the end of last week, the start-up filed a claim at the Texas Eastern District Court (case ID: 2:25-cv-01037) and a parallel infringement suit over EP 3 139 274 at the Regional Court Munich. The 7th Civil Chamber will hear the latter, with a panel around presiding judge Oliver Schön.

In addition, Celonis filed a further infringement suit over EP 3 765 962 at the UPC at the local division Munich earlier this week.

Hogan Lovells for Celonis

Celonis has retained teams from Hogan Lovells for all the disputes at US, German and UPC courts. Litigator Andreas von Falck filed the claims for the client at the Regional Court Munich and local division Munich. He also leads the defence at the local division Düsseldorf, in the claim launched by SAP. His team includes patent attorney and partner Alexander Klicznik as well as counsel Martin Koch and associates Adrian Rudert, Lea Gröblinghoff, and patent attorney Lennart-Knut Liefheith.

In the US, San Francisco partner David Perlson and Washington-based partner Celine Crowson lead the patent infringement cases for Celonis. For the antitrust case in California, a San Francisco team from Farella Brown + Martel acted as local counsel.

Jones Day represents SAP at the UPC and in the US. Munich-based partner Gerd Jaekel filed the claim for the German software company at the local division Düsseldorf.

According to the court dockets of the District Court in Delaware, SAP has retained a team led by Monte Terell Squire in the patent infringement suit. They acted as local counsel alongside a Jones Day team in New York, which has the lead.