JUVE Comment

This Munich team is respected for its patent litigation and enjoying growing market visibility. This is largely thanks to its busy activity for traditional US NPEs as well as for industry-oriented NPEs like Thomson. The practice thus has a very clear focus on mobile communications suits, but Nack and team also litigate for the industrial clients typical of Noerr, esp. in the pharma and classic engineering sectors.

Strengths

Mobile communications litigation for NPEs.

European strategy

As part of a nationally independent firm, the patents team is struggling to forge Europe-wide alliances for the UPC. The firm’s Lex Mundi network offers few possibilities here. Noerr is therefore preparing for the new requirements more strategically than perhaps Gleiss or Hengeler Mueller: it hopes to compensate for the lack of its own teams at key UPC locations with close ties to small, yet hard-hitting patents firms in Amsterdam, London and Paris. The firm has also been working in cooperation with the patent attorneys at Bosch Jehle for years, so that it can offer technical expertise. To handle UPC proceedings in large teams, the practice works in cooperation with Noerr’s large dispute resolution practice.

Recommended individuals

Dr. Ralph Nack.

Team

1 equity partner, 2 salary partners, 5 associates

Practice

All-round IP activity with a clear focus on patent litigation. Specialties in contract drafting, licenses, strategic advice and transactions.

Clients

Thomson Licensing against Pioneer regarding license fees; Data Scape concerning cloud technology; Parkervision regarding mobile communication and RFID chips; Wilan against Sony regarding LTE standard; Rembrandt IP regarding mobile communications; Packet Intelligence concerning data security patent; Lidl concerning Bluetooth licenses; Schrunk regarding ultrasonic welding method.