dormakaba strikes a blow against arch-rival GEZE at Düsseldorf Regional Court

dormakaba claims that five of its patents have been infringed by GEZE’s ‘Powerturn’ swing door drive and has filed claims with Düsseldorf Regional Court. The five patents include German patents DE 10 2007 054 462 and DE 10 2009 004 503, as well as European patents EP 2 212 502, EP 2 212 501 and EP 2 209 962. They protect various aspects of drive systems that open doors automatically. Millions of such doors are installed in hospitals, airports and other large-scale facilities.

Such doors are usually relevant to fire safety and are therefore subject to government regulations. Consequently, their removal and installation is complicated. dormakaba is now asking Düsseldorf Regional Court to order GEZE to cease and desist on the grounds of infringement. If the court upholds dormaKaba’s claims, its competitor may have to recall and destroy the technology already installed. According to experts, workarounds are possible, but complicated due to safety regulations.

Carsten Haase

The legal proceedings are still at an early stage. However, it is already known that they will be decided by the 4b Patent Litigation Chamber under presiding judge Carsten Haase (case IDs: 4b O 31/26, 4b O 41/26, 4b O 42/26, 4b O 43/26 and 4b O 44/26). The chamber is expected to hear the cases in early 2027.

UPC not an option

Both companies are fierce competitors in the automatically operated swing door sector. Assa Abloy and Tormax are also regarded as major players in this sector. dormakaba is headquartered in Ennepetal, near the Ruhr region, whilst GEZE is based in Leonberg, near Stuttgart. Although the two German rivals regularly face off in opposition proceedings at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office and the European Patent Office, according to JUVE Patent sources, they have not been in disputes before the civil courts for many years.

The market in this segment is considered highly competitive, which is why dormakaba has now filed such a wide-ranging claim with Düsseldorf Regional Court. As both companies market their products in Germany, bringing a claim before a German patent court makes sense. dormakaba has apparently ruled out parallel claims before the UPC for this reason. Such an extensive series of claims is likely to be welcomed by the judges in Düsseldorf, however, as the number of cases before the court’s two chambers has recently been declining. Many claimants have been filing their claims with Munich Regional Court.

GEZE declined to comment on the lawsuits. JUVE Patent is currently unaware of whether the company has already taken countermeasures. Invalidity actions against dormakaba’s five patents are considered a certainty. GEZE has its own patent portfolio. Given the competitive relationship between the companies, bringing its own infringement claims against dormakaba could be another option.

Dormakaba relies on Wildanger

Wildanger Kehrwald Graf von Schwerin & Partner filed the claims on behalf of dormakaba. Partner Jörg Schmidt is responsible for the case, “I have drafted the five claims myself for the time being. I will certainly be seeking support for the replies.” The patent attorney involved is Matthias Borchert of Betten & Resch.

Gleiss Lutz partner Matthias Sonntag took on the defence of GEZE. His team also includes Benedikt Buger, Mischa Krumm and Sophie Tavakoli. Patent attorneys David Dobler, Torsten Duhme and Peter Weiner from the Stuttgart-based firm Witte Weller und Partner provide technical expertise. They also regularly file patent applications on behalf of GEZE with the EPO.