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 strategy given the UPC delay. From these two offices, HE has other European markets in its sights: there are Dutch patent attorneys working at the Düsseldorf office and from Hamburg HE is homing in on Scandinavia. However, work continues to center on Asian companies, though intensified litigation work for Ericsson involving mobile communications shows that the firm is active beyond these.

Strengths

Patent prosecution and litigation with technical expertise in pharmaceuticals, telecoms, chemicals, food chemicals, mechanics and electronics.

Development potential

The delay in the UPC launch caused by Brexit put a damper on the firm’s development into a European heavyweight looking to capitalize on the UPC system. HE could take advantage of the situation by quickly positioning itself as an alternative to the now isolated London firms for US companies, esp. as it has its own London office.

Recommended individuals

Dr. Niels Hölder, Dr. Dirk Schüssler-Langeheine, Dr. Clemens Steins; patent attorneys: Dr. Thorsten Bausch, Dr. Leo Polz, Dr. Matthias Kindler, Dr. Peter Klusmann, Dr. Peter Schweighart, Dr. Joseph Taormino.

Team

Team in Germany: 74 patent attorneys, 8 lawyers

Practice

All-round IP activity. Around 75 percent of the practice is in patents, focusing on patent prosecution, with very broad technical expertise. Opposition and nullity suits and infringement proceedings as well as global litigation coordination. Trademarks and unfair competition.

Clients

Ericsson against Apple regarding mobile communications; Panasonic regarding LED patents; IP Bridge concerning mobile communications; frequent litigation for: Astellas, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lundbeck, NTT DoCoMo, Seiko Epson and Toshiba; filing for Mitsubishi, Seiko Epson, NTT DoCoMo.