JUVE Comment

The German patent practice of this US law firm advises and represents companies across various industries. The team maintains strong connections with the automotive supply industry through Düsseldorf partner Henrik Holzapfel, who handles various proceedings for regular client Harman.

He also brings experience in the enforcement of life sciences patents, regularly advising prominent pharma clients such as Stada and Merck. The medical device sector, however, recently generated significantly more litigation, as exemplified by the work for Wilfried Hüser, whom the team represented as co-defendant in long-running litigation over breast implants. Furthermore, the practice is active in national litigation concerning knotless surgical suture material for Syntorr. There is also a case at the UPC related to this dispute with competitor Arthex, where Holzapfel recently achieved a success concerning security payments. This and another victory for NJOY in an extensive UPC battle over vaporizer patents underscores the clout the practice has at the European court. The team’s strong relationships with US clients such as Dell ensure a steady workflow. These clients also seek advice on employee invention law, FTO analyses, licensing, and IP aspects of M&A transactions.

The German practice serves as a gateway for the firm’s US clients to the UPC and disputes for European clients also often have parallel proceedings in the US, as in the case of Syntorr. For these, the German team regularly relies on the assistance of the US practice, in particular the technical skill of the patent counsel.

However, the bulk of the litigation work is still handled by a small team based in Düsseldorf. The team needs to grow in order to handle more complex cross-border cases. The recent departure of an associate in Düsseldorf has put a damper on this aim.

Strengths

Litigation for SMEs and advice to automotive suppliers and medical device companies.

Recommended individuals

Henrik Holzapfel (“has extensive experience in the fields of SEP and FRAND matters”, client; “keeps a good overview over the case”, competitor)

Team

10 lawyers

Clients

Litigation: Syntorr against Arthex over knotless surgical suture material; Wilfried Hüser as co-defendant of Polytech against Silimed over breast implants (partly settled 2025); Soler & Palau Research regarding ventilation systems for houses. Frequent litigation and advice: Elokon, K-fee, Harman International, MB Automation, Neofacture Furniture, Wüsthof.