JUVE Comment

Thanks to its close ties to core clients, this patent attorney firm was one of the few UK firms to be present at the UPC from an early stage. Laura Ramsay, for example, advised AutoStore in its dispute with Ocado together with other law firms even before the UPC launch. She and her team worked in the background in other national proceedings in which other law firms had the lead. When Ocado then took the fight to the UPC, Ramsay was a main representative in one of three proceedings. In the end, however, the UPC case did not reach the courtroom because the parties settled early on.

Dehns is also co-counsel with Kather Augenstein and Hogan Lovells for Advanced Bionics in infringement and revocation actions against MED-EL over cochlear implants, with Ramsay leading the Dehns team. Other Dehns partners showed that patent attorney firms can successfully conduct cases independently at the UPC without the involvement of law firms, such as for Carrier Corporation and Stanley Black & Decker. For these regular clients, Dehns is also conducting the parallel EPO oppositions in all three disputes. In this respect, it is also one of the few patent attorney firms in Europe that used its many years of litigation experience at the EPO to build up an independent UPC practice, rather than limiting itself to the role of providing technical support to law firms. In some proceedings, such as for AutoStore, the patent attorneys even took on a strong coordinating role.

Strengths

Revocation actions and technical support regarding medical devices and mechanics

Recommended individuals

Laura Ramsay (“a tenacious and versatile advocate who builds a good rapport with the judges”, competitor);

Team

1 lawyer, 76 patent attorneys

Clients

Advanced Bionics against MED-EL over cochlear implants; Carrier Corporation against Bitzer Electronics over cold chain monitoring patent; Stanley Black & Decker against Viking Arms over hand tools; AutoStore against Ocado over robot-assisted automation systems (settled in 2023).