Filing – Germany 2016

JUVE Comment

The international setup of this leading IP firm for patents offers little room for criticism. With its strong pharmaceuticals specialty, HE has long been visible with its London office. The firm bolstered Milan and Madrid with international lawyers, though these offices have yet to reach the level of London. With offices in Munich, Hamburg and Düsseldorf, HE is now visible before the important courts across Germany, though Munich dominates its reputation by far. Hamburg and Düsseldorf are making slow progress – possibly an understandable strate...

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• Litigation: Lawyers
• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This recommended IP firm in Munich displayed its filing strength as usual. The firm is traditionally an extremely active filer of patents at the German Patent and Trademark Office, largely because of its connection to General Motors. The patent attorneys are also active at the EPO, with a broad technical spectrum. In litigation, they are chiefly seen in opposition suits before the EPO as well as nullity suits. In infringement proceedings, only individual partners are noted for their expertise in suits involving auto patents. The firm’s many Mit...

JUVE Comment

This firm, best known in patents for its strong visibility in litigation, is among the leading practices and held its position at the top of the market. Like last year, BP was seen in a multitude of proceedings, esp. mobile communications battles. Bardehle now has a reputation as a firm for NPE litigation; it represented Intellectual Ventures in some of the year’s largest proceedings. But this only tells half the story, as the litigation for BMW against NPE Synchronicity shows. Though Bardehle is often active for industry clients, it does not s...

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• Litigation: Lawyers
• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This long-established Stuttgart IP boutique highly recommended for patent filing is growing its filing activity, with new clients like soldering technology manufacturer Ersa. In addition to a busy filing practice, primarily for Mittelstand companies in the Stuttgart region, litigation work gained ground: the patent attorneys worked for Hyundai and Robert Bosch in infringement and nullity suits, often alongside external litigators.

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

The basis of the huge success of this leading firm in patents is its broad prosecution work for a strong Mittelstand client base, incl. litigation before the patent offices. Eisenführ continuously builds on these foundations, for instance taking on the entire portfolio of Werner & Merz. The mixed litigation practice is also gaining momentum, partly because the patent attorneys and lawyers are now working together consistently. Although Eisenführ has long had a reputation as a firm for NPE suits owing to its litigation for Sisvel, industrial cli...

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

Despite its small size, this Ruhr Valley firm respected in patents, primarily for filing, remains one of the most visible west German prosecution firms, along with Cohausz & Florak. The firm had to cope with the retirement of its most prominent partner, Dr. Rainer Albrecht, but had already bolstered the team with a patent attorney for its specialties in mechanics, engineering and electronics. In litigation, AH is esp. present in opposition and nullity suits as well as cancellation proceedings. The firm is not as visible in infringement proceedi...

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This Munich firm respected for patent filing now counts more than 40 patent attorneys, making it one of the market’s heavyweights. The firm is esp. strong in electronics patents; clients are chiefly international companies like Fujitsu and Huawei, and recently Sanofi. Potential for the filing practice lies in the German Mittelstand, as it has mostly worked for corporates so far.

JUVE Comment

Despite its small size, this respected patent attorney practice remains one of the most visible filing firms in north Germany. This is partly because of the sheer quantity of patents filed. The patent attorneys are generally only active in isolated litigation cases for regular clients.

JUVE Comment

This pure patent attorney firm from Stuttgart is respected first and foremost for its filing practice. The firm advises mostly German Mittelstand companies from the central Neckar region. Bielomatik was a new addition to the client list. Clients also trust the team in disputes, for which the patent attorneys draw on external lawyers. China is playing a growing role in clients’ international filing strategies; the firm stepped up advice on filing and litigation here.

JUVE Comment

Following a period of staffing growth, this respected, pure patent attorney firm has now made steady progress within its solid client relationships. The patent attorneys boast excellent ties to major chemicals, pharmaceuticals and biotech players like BASF, Roche Diagnostics and Sanofi. Isenbruck bolstered this advisory field with an in-house salary partner appointment. While prosecution work is very visible, the patent attorneys typically only litigate on rare occasions, mostly for pharmaceuticals companies in cross-border suits on the side of...

JUVE Comment

For pan-European patents matters, the leading patents practice of this US firm is appearing ever more frequently, with a well-positioned team of patent attorneys and a firmly established litigation team. JD plays a central role in pharmaceuticals disputes – opposition suits and infringement proceedings – involving new active agents. A prime example is work for Akebia involving erythropoietin and Celgene concerning a cancer drug. For Akebia, JD actively brought its US law expertise into play by pushing through a US inspection procedure. JD now d...

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• Litigation: Lawyers
• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This Munich IP boutique is a leading name in patents and has enjoyed stability from day one, thanks to a base of very loyal clients, most of whom are advised on an all-round basis incl. patent filing and patent litigation. The practice is characterized by close cooperation between the patent attorneys and lawyers. This year saw a rise in the strong filing activity for regular clients like Fresenius and Faun. The team stepped up efforts to acquire Japanese and Chinese clients for the upcoming UPC. The main coup came from the very small litigatio...

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• Litigation: Lawyers
• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This patent attorney firm, mainly respected for its prosecution work, continued its steady growth in activity. The patent attorneys file patents for a multitude of regular clients on a large scale, and again landed some new portfolios, e.g. an auto supplier and from the semiconductor industry. This makes MHP one of the central prosecution outfits in west Germany, whose patent attorneys often appear in infringement proceedings as well. They are increasingly providing advice to the auto industry in the background of disputes with NPEs.

JUVE Comment

From a strong filing practice, this pure patent attorney firm respected in patents is also developing an active litigation practice. Prinz was busy with the dispute between Nike and Adidas in connection with knitted sneakers. The filing practice made steady progress with a rise in work for regular clients like BMW. The firm already enjoys a strong position in the auto industry. In the advancement of its prosecution practice, P&P is banking on a digital analysis tool for assessing its clients’ patent strategies.

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

A respected patent attorney firm in Munich which underscored its good reputation once more with much prosecution work within a broad technical spectrum, often for Asian clients. The work of the patent attorneys involving chemicals and pharmaceuticals patents stands out. This also includes renowned litigation activity, mostly for pharmaceuticals companies.

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This Hamburg IP boutique respected in patents specializes much more than other patent attorney firms on litigation related to chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Clients here included agricultural corporate Monsanto. In litigation, the patent attorneys work in cooperation with external lawyers. The firm is also very active for petroleum corporates, incl. portfolio advice. U&S responded to the loss of two experienced partners with technical expertise in electronics and mobile communications patents to Bird & Bird by hiring two younger patent attorney...

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

A large IP firm which is very strong in filing and mostly respected for its prosecution work. From a broad technical palette, extensive activity for major international electronics, IT and telecoms companies stands out. Apart from German and US corporates, such as Osram and Intel, work here focuses on Asian clients. The patent attorneys are often in action in opposition and nullity suits, but rarely conduct infringement proceedings. The firm did, however, step up work in the latter, e.g. for Zepter, with its own lawyers, but VJP’s reputation as...

JUVE Comment

A recommended, mixed firm for patents which remains very visible in litigation, esp. pharmaceuticals and auto industry disputes. It is not only individual partners like Wallinger who are seen as extremely experienced in litigation, but the firm as a whole. The firm strengthened its connections to Asian and US companies, as well as US firms with similar setups – no doubt the right strategy regardless of the UPC launch. WRST also branched into other industries, for example handling its first instructions for a Chinese mobile communications corpor...

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

Competitors characterize this respected patent attorney firm as dynamic. Unlike other firms in the southwest, WWP is active for international corporates like Boeing and Sony with its extensive filing practice. The firm also frequently litigates for clients with external lawyers, e.g. for TomTom concerning navigation devices or for Harmann against France Brevets. Compared to other patents firms in Stuttgart, WWP need not worry about young talent: thanks to a systematic training strategy, it once again added two patent attorneys to the headcount ...

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

The mixed patents team at this full-service firm is respected for filing and esp. strong in advising and litigating for auto suppliers. BRP landed new clients in this sector and was hired for more filing and infringement proceedings by its expanding core client base. The practice is mainly anchored among Mittelstand technology companies in the Stuttgart region. The team was not particularly prominent in litigation work.

JUVE Comment

This respected IP firm in Berlin can look back over a strong year in litigation work. Not only is G&P frequently seen on the side of ZTE, it was also involved in a central decision regarding the interpretation of the ECJ rules concerning SEP suits, in work for Haier against Sisvel before Düsseldorf Patent Court (Patentgericht). In these proceedings, G&P impressed the market with the visibility of its mixed team, made up of its own patent attorneys and lawyers. In other proceedings, the patent attorneys attracted much attention on the side of ex...

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

A respected Frankfurt IP firm boasting a strong filing practice, esp. for chemicals, mechanics and electrical engineering patents. Beyond this, the patent attorneys litigate with K&S’ lawyers for long-standing clients, e.g. Klann. Alongside German Mittelstand companies, the firm litigates for corporates like Sanofi-Aventis.

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

A midsized, respected patent attorney firm which clearly has its sights set on litigation work for the new European patent system. With this in mind, the firm added five experienced patent attorneys from other firms or industrial companies to its headcount. The most prominent new hire was Emmerling, who came from Betten & Resch bringing crucial expertise in mobile communications and Huawei as a high-profile litigation client. Since then, the practice, which was not esp. visible in mobile communications before, has been active for the Chinese co...

JUVE Comment

This firm from Nuremberg primarily respected for patent filing is deeply anchored among a Mittelstand client base in northern Bavaria. This year saw RSH increase filing activity slightly by gaining new clients from the German Mittelstand as well as some international clients. The filing practice is geared toward engineering and electronics patents. The patent attorneys occasionally litigate for their regular clients as well.

JUVE Comment

A respected, pure patent attorney firm which is one of the first stops for filing and litigation in the Ruhr Valley. The team frequently litigates for German Mittelstand companies with external lawyers. A number of patent attorneys, e.g. name partner von Rohr, enjoy a strong reputation for litigation work and are thus often called on for major suits. The firm also maintains a steady filing practice for engineering, electrical engineering, chemicals and life sciences patents and often adds new portfolios to its list, e.g. that of lab equipment m...

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys