Filing – Germany 2015

JUVE Comment

HE is still among the leading names for patents and established an excellent setup for the UPC early on, esp. on the patent attorney side. The firm operates one of the large European prosecution practices with an extremely strong position among Japanese companies and in the pharmaceuticals sector, and is also well placed when it comes to mobile communications and electronics patents. Alongside Bardehle, HE boasts one of the most active mixed litigation teams, traditionally with a strong presence in pharmaceuticals proceedings. Patent attorneys ...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Lawyers
• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This recommended Munich IP firm was as strong as ever in filing patents. The firm is traditionally one of the most active for filing patents at the German Patent and Trademark Office because of its excellent connections to General Motors. This is also where the firm’s superb name for automotive patents stems from. The firm added three patent attorneys to its headcount, which was also a result of new patent portfolios, incl. that of Swiss company Sulzer. In litigation, the patent attorneys are mainly seen in opposition suits before the EPO and i...

JUVE Comment

BP is among the leading practices in patents thanks to its strong visibility in litigation, despite the fact that the mobile communications battles for Apple and Microsoft have slowed down. Instead, the firm stepped up litigation on behalf of regular clients like Adidas and Cisco. The team was, however, present in one of the largest mobile communications suits, where it represented intervener Amazon against SLC. With its setup and its offices in Milan and Paris, BP need not fear competition in the new UPC system, esp. as it bolstered both of it...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Lawyers
• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This firm is highly recommended for patent filing and landed an astonishing number of new clients this year. The long-established IP boutique in Stuttgart thus gained ground in its already strong filing practice. For new client Innowatech, Dreiss not only took over the patent portfolio, but also stepped into an extensive opposition suit at the EPO right away. Dreiss litigates in infringement proceedings for its core base of Mittelstand clients from Baden-Württemberg, often alongside external litigators. This also gives rise to further litigatio...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This leading firm in patents is one of the standout patent litigation firms thanks to numerous opposition and nullity suits conducted primarily by patent attorneys like Ehlers and Göken. The patent attorneys are also very experienced litigating in infringement proceedings (e.g. for Enercon, Philips and Nordson), and traditionally active globally, with one example the ground-breaking arbitration work for Enercon in India. In a number of high-profile proceedings, e.g. Sisvel, the patent attorneys worked with external litigators, but also increasi...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

A Munich-based patent attorney firm which is highly recommended for both filing and litigation. After an extensive selection process, the firm made it onto the Google panel, for which it now files patents. The firm’s visibility stems increasingly from litigation in the life sciences sector, where it works as part of an international team. The firm will need to find a suitable growth strategy to continue coping with the high workload. If it manages to do so, some of its patent attorneys, e.g. Katérle, may be candidates as litigation specialists ...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This Ruhr Valley firm is most respected for its filing work in patents and, with a slight delay, raised its headcount for the upcoming UPC. Having suffered a departure last year, AH now boosted its specialties in mechanics, engineering and electronics with a patent attorney from its own pool of young talent. Thanks to the market visibility of a number of partners (e.g. Albrecht) and long-established connections to many notable Mittelstand companies and some corporates from western Germany, the firm has now ascended to first place in the Ruhr re...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This Munich firm, which is respected for patents, is one of Germany’s strongest patent filers. Because of the exceptionally large number of German and European patents filed and the sheer number of fee earners – which was added to by two patent attorneys – EHF is most visible in electronics and IT patents, where it often represents international clients. The most notable names include Fujitsu, Huawei and a number of former Siemens subsidiaries. The firm only occasionally litigates for its regular clients.

JUVE Comment

This respected patent attorney practice is very small in terms of the number of fee earners, but one of the most visible filing firms in north Germany. Thanks to its excellent track record for filing German and, above all, European patents, it can stand up to much larger outfits, like Eisenführ or Glawe. The firm has also enjoyed exceptional team stability for years. Mönkemeyer was esp. visible of late. The patent attorneys only occasionally litigate for regular clients, and then mostly on the side of external lawyers.

JUVE Comment

This respected patent attorney firm in Stuttgart enjoys deep roots among Mittelstand clients in the central Neckar region. The team is made up purely of patent attorneys and often advises first-class regular clients, such as cleaning appliance manufacturer Alfred Kärcher, primarily on patent filing and the arising disputes. These are then conducted with external litigators. In the long term, if the firm’s long-standing clients with international filing strategies are pulled before the UPC in disputes, it is questionable whether or not they will...

JUVE Comment

This respected patent attorney firm strengthened its clear focus on the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sector by boosting its headcount with three patent attorneys at associate and salary partner level from the industrial sector or competitors. The patent attorneys are mostly seen on the side of regular clients like BASF and Roche Diagnostics and consequently have a very good reputation for filing chemicals and pharmaceuticals patents. They are rarely active in litigation traditionally, and if so, then mainly for pharmaceuticals companies in cro...

JUVE Comment

The leading patents practice of this US firm is preparing for the launch of the UPC system, with a well-positioned patent attorney practice and a litigation team that is firmly established in Munich. The mixed approach and excellent links to US companies provide an excellent basis. For some time, the German patents practice has been growing mainly within existing client connections. For instance, the litigation team is conducting a host of major proceedings for pharmaceuticals, biotech and medical product manufacturers, among them economically ...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Lawyers
• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

As in previous years, this patent attorney firm, which is respected for its prosecution work, shifted up a gear. The patent attorneys are not only filing more patents for regular clients, they also gained a number of new clients, incl. Vorwerk. The firm saw most growth, however, in work for Asian companies. MH&P is also very active in IP-related due diligence work, e.g. in connection with the Molecular Partners IPO and the Sorbion sale to BSN Medical. The patent attorneys frequently appear in infringement proceedings.

JUVE Comment

This firm respected in patents developed its prosecution work within existing client relationships. The filing practice is strong in terms of the number of patents filed at the German Patent and Trademark Office and EPO and forms the basis for litigation work. As in previous years, the firm shone here on the side of Nike against Adidas. The patent attorneys were very active in nullity suits and infringement proceedings – always alongside external lawyers – mostly for auto manufacturers and suppliers. Following some years of stability, the firm ...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

The patent attorneys at this respected IP firm underscored their reputation for chemicals and pharmaceuticals patents with work for Hexal in two high-profile suits. The patent attorneys are esp. visible in infringement proceedings and nullity suits on behalf of generics companies, as well as filing patents and conducting official proceedings in a variety of sectors. The second practice specialty is electronics patents, of which it files many for Asian corporates like LG.

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

Unlike many patent attorney firms, this Hamburg IP boutique, which is highly recommended for patents, is geared primarily towards litigation, not only filing. U&S litigates in cooperation with external lawyers. The patent attorneys themselves are very active for regular clients like Exxon Mobil in opposition suits. Agricultural corporate Monsanto is also a source of much litigation work, e.g. concerning plant cultivation. At international level, the patent attorneys mainly advise US clients who hire U&S directly, some of whom have been working ...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

Boasting one of the largest headcounts and strongest filing practices, this respected IP firm remains extremely visible in prosecution. For its strong Asian client base, VJ&P mainly filed patents at the German Patent and Trademark Office. The firm also looks after extensive European patents, e.g. for US clients as well as German electronics, IT and telecoms companies. The good connections to Osram and Infineon are public knowledge. The patent attorneys rarely appear in infringement proceedings and the lawyers mainly conduct trademark litigation...

JUVE Comment

This mixed firm recommended in patents is visible at a steady, high level, mostly in disputes. The firm gained new clients and litigated for Macronix in infringement proceedings. Steady filing work for the Mittelstand provides a solid basis for the strong litigation practice. The firm also works for large patent filers, such as BMW. WRST enjoys a strong name in the auto sector overall. Following the loss of two experienced patent attorneys last year, the firm has now appointed one of its own patent attorneys as partner.

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This patent attorney firm in Stuttgart is respected for its patent filing practice. Unlike other Swabian firms, WW&P is esp. active for large corporates, such as Boeing, Sony and Carl Zeiss. The firm opts for organic growth; it takes a strategic approach to training and advances patent attorneys to the partnership, though it did not appoint any partners this year. The team, which is consistent in quality terms, also conducts litigation with external lawyers.

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This firm respected for patent filing enjoys strong roots in the regional Mittelstand. The firm is profiting from the fact that a number of its regular clients, esp. auto suppliers, filed huge numbers of patents, and are increasingly defending these in disputes. The lawyers have not, however, made names for themselves as litigation specialists yet.

JUVE Comment

This respected Berlin IP firm is visible to an equal degree these days for its prosecution and litigation work. The firm operates one of the strongest filing practices in eastern Germany and cleverly capitalizes on its traditionally strong ties to Asia (own office in Beijing as well as Japanese and Korean patent attorneys) to conduct litigation for primarily Chinese clients, such as ZTE, Hisense and Haier. Proceedings often feature a mobile communications element. The firm’s strong visibility in Asian work and the expansion of its litigation ac...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This respected, mixed IP firm traditionally enjoys a dominant position in the patent attorney scene in the Rhein-Main region, thanks to its strong position in mechanics patents. The prosecution work in chemicals patents is also held in high regard. The patent attorneys litigate for a number of Mittelstand companies and some corporates, e.g. Sanofi-Aventis. K&S is successfully building up its own litigation practice with lawyers, with the UPC in mind.

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This respected firm, where patent attorneys predominate, proved that it is serious about building up a mixed litigation team by adding its first lawyer to the partnership, and, on the patent attorney side, bringing in patent attorney Emmerling, who is experienced in mobile communications suits, and a partner from Eisenführ experienced in electronics patents. Prüfer thus remains one of the most dynamic firms in Munich. The firm is excellently positioned as a prosecution practice, but to raise its visibility as a litigation firm it could capitali...

JUVE Comment

This Nuremberg firm is most respected for patent filing and enjoys strong roots in the northern Bavarian Mittelstand. The patent attorneys primarily advise their regular clients, incl. Uvex and Coperion, on filing, and occasionally represent these in disputes in mixed teams. The filing practice’s core field of expertise is engineering.

JUVE Comment

This pure patent attorney firm is respected for filing and litigation work, and stands out from the practices in the Ruhr Valley. Following its spinoff from Gesthuysen und Partner the firm has succeeded in positioning a team of young patent attorneys visibly in the market, under name partner von Rohr. The focus of activity has shifted from engineering towards chemicals, life sciences and electrical engineering patents, with work for companies of varying sizes from the region. The firm is praised by competitors for its “sound judgment in bills f...

Other Rankings

• Litigation: Patent Attorneys