JUVE Comment

The patent litigation practice at this German full-service firm maintains a strong position advising SMEs before German courts. Litigation for automotive suppliers such as ZF Friedrichshafen continues to feature prominently, alongside work for medical device manufacturers including Ziehm Imaging and Invacare in infringement actions and nullity proceedings before the Federal Patent Court.

The firm maintains intensive work for regular clients such as Umarex. For Hörmann regarding garage and industrial door technologies, and Taco Italia concerning pump systems, the Munich team under Sebastian Heim handles both national proceedings and EPO matters. The practice’s profile centres largely on this team, which Heim has transformed into a hub for litigation work. While the Düsseldorf team also focuses on litigation, advisory work plays a more substantial role there and in Frankfurt.

The team recently expanded with two salary partners working at the intersection of patent law and other practice areas, such as tech litigation, competition law and SEP issues. However, connectivity matters are only gradually gaining prominence through the practice’s significant automotive and medical devices client base. The firm has yet to appear in major SEP disputes.

European set-up

Two partners advise numerous Italian companies, including Limacorporate and Taco, on patent disputes in Germany. Nevertheless, international parallel proceedings remain outside the patent team’s standard repertoire. The GvW patent team primarily serves German SMEs in national proceedings. While the past year included UPC strategy advice, unlike Noerr or Gleiss Lutz, the patent team has not yet appeared actively in UPC cases. An opportunity exists through the firm’s strong position among medical product manufacturers and automotive suppliers, as these industries increasingly use the UPC to challenge competitors’ European patents or seek Europe-wide injunctions.

Strengths

Patent litigation for SMEs, especially regarding automotive and medical devices.

Recommended individuals

Sebastian Heim (“innovative litigator, tough opponent”, competitor)

Team

11 lawyers

Clients

Litigation: ZF Friedrichshafen against Magna in revocation action over gear technology for cars; Limacorporate against various competitors over acetabula; Ziehm Imaging against Siemens Healthcare over x-ray technology; Hörmann against various competitors over technologies for garage and industrial doors; Taco Italia against Grundfos over pump systems; frequent litigation for Allgeier IT Solutions, Cerafiltec, Eden Europe, Hilti, Rembe, Schlenk Metallic Pigments, Umarex, Vertex, Voestalpine. Advice for Novartis.