JUVE Comment

Vossius stands as one of the strongest mixed patent litigation firms in the German market. Its leading patent attorneys excel in EPO oppositions and nullity actions, whilst its renowned team of lawyers is hot on the heels of market leaders. The firm regularly deploys mixed teams in complex proceedings, demonstrating particular strength in SEP and FRAND litigation. Vossius also ranks among the market leaders in pharmaceutical cases, especially in straw man oppositions at the EPO.

The firm continues to attract new clients for litigation, oppositions and prosecution work. Its robust Asian network is paying dividends, with recent client wins including Beijing Shunyuan, US medical device manufacturer Emboline and German lab technology company Hologic.

However, the firm faced a setback in an otherwise successful year: for the first time in two decades, it lost one of its most renowned mobile communications litigators to rival Powell Gilbert. Andreas Kramer, who joined the firm nine years ago as a lateral hire and represented clients such as Wiko, TCL and ZTE, has departed. His exit deprives the team of a visible litigator. Nevertheless, the firm is well-positioned to absorb this loss.

European set-up

Vossius has gained considerable experience in UPC litigation, establishing itself as a market leader. Its success stems in part from its collaboration with Dutch firm Brinkhof, with which it handles the majority of UPC cases under the Vossius & Brinkhof UPC Litigators brand. This partnership has boosted both firms’ market visibility and created a formidable team. New and existing clients capitalise on the firm’s technical breadth, engaging it for litigation across diverse technologies.

Thanks to its strong relationships with international firms such as Kirkland & Ellis and Bristows, the team frequently participates in high-profile and complex cross-border patent disputes, as exemplified by its work for Boston Scientific.

Strengths

Mixed litigation teams, mainly concerning pharmaceuticals, biotech, mechanics and mobile communications.

Recommended individuals

Georg Rauh (“precise and dedicated”, competitor), Kai Rüting (“outstanding”, competitor), Thure Schubert; patent attorneys: Gerhard Hermann, Hans-Rainer Jaenichen, Elard Frhr. von Schenck zu Schweinsberg (“really good”, competitor)

Team

64 patent attorneys, 11 lawyers

Partner moves

Andreas Kramer (to Powell Gilbert)

Clients

Litigation: Oppo against Crystal Clear Codec, Panasonic, VoiceAge and Koninklijke KPN over SEPs for speech coding for mobile devices; Roku against Philips, Dolby, Sun Patent Trust over HEVC patents/video streaming; Kodak against Fujifilm over offset printing technology; Wiko against Philips and Pantech over SEPs and FRAND over 4G; Xiaomi against HEVC Advance over HEVC/H.265 standard and FRAND; Resmed against Panthera over oral splints to prevent airway obstruction; Beijing Roborock against Dreame over autonomous cleaning robots; Tomra Systems against Cleansort over sorting process for recycling aluminium; Newron Pharmaceuticals againt Alfred Tiefenbacher in nullity suit over Parkinson’s treatment Xadago.