JUVE Comment

This Munich-based pure patent attorney firm remains at the top of the market as one of the busiest litigation outfits in the mobile communications and IT sector. The practice’s success stems from the strong litigation experience of the patent attorney team led by Wolfgang Lippich, Alexander Münster, and Tobias Stammberger in national and UPC proceedings as well as EPO oppositions. This expertise has recently led to them representing new high-profile clients such as Deutsche Telekom and Nvidia.

In their core expertise of mobile communications and IT, the team manages to work for both SEP holders (e.g. Nokia) and implementers (e.g. Apple, HMD, Netgear, and Netflix). Most other patent attorney outfits work either for one side or the other. In recent years, the team has expanded its client base in litigation to include additional tech sectors, such as solar with instructions for Hanwha Q-Cells and JA Solar or medical technology with work for Zeiss.

In its second business area, the team runs a prosecution practice that often handles specific portions of portfolios rather than entire collections. Clients specifically seek the experienced patent attorneys’ expertise in drafting these segments with litigation in mind.

With a team size of 27, Samson & Partner is well positioned for extensive disputes, including the UPC. Many of the patent cases they are involved in alongside lawyers from firms such as Hoyng ROKH Monegier, Hogan Lovells, and Freshfields, are now either exclusively or at least partly fought at the European court, making Samson & Partner one of the UPC heavyweights among pure patent attorney firms. Clients such as JA Solar, Lenovo, Netgear and HMD rely on the technical expertise of the team in UPC actions. This experience attracts new clients such as Nvidia, which the team now represents in a dispute over virtual reality technology.

Michael Turi and Friedrich von Samson-Himmelstjerna recently moved to of-counsel status and are gradually stepping back from active client work, thus the firm expanded the team again by recruiting an IT specialist.

Strengths

Litigation involving mobile communications and electronics for both patent holders as well as implementers. Increasing litigation in solar technology.

Recommended individuals

Lucas Fischer, Georg Jacoby, Wolfgang Lippich, Alexander Münster, Oswald Niederkofler, Friedrich von Samson-Himmelstjerna, Tobias Stammberger (all patent attorneys)

Team

27 patent attorneys

Clients

Litigation: Deutsche Telekom against Broadcom over mobile communications; Apple against Flexiworld over wireless communications; Apple against Rembrandt over instant messaging; HMD against Huawei over mobile communications; HMD against VoiceAge over speech coding for mobile devices; Intel against R2 Semiconductor over integrated circuits; Keysight against Centripetal over networks and firewalls; Netflix against Broadcom over IT; TP-Link against Huawei over wi-fi; Hanwha Q-Cells against REC Solar over solar technology; Zeiss against Yeda over ophthalmology. EPO oppositions: JA Solar against Astronergy over solar cells; Hanwha Q-Cells against Astroenergy and REC Solar over solar cells; Intel against Mahltig over IT; Keysight against Centripetal over network and firewall technology.