JUVE Comment

Since the mid-2017 arrival of Gruber, this leading firm for employee invention law has been more active in infringement proceedings and nullity suits, thanks to Gruber’s wealth of experience. The Munich and Cologne team quickly capitalised on the joint potential to advance the practice, as the Cologne employee invention law team’s first-class client base and Gruber’s litigation clients offer room to grow the practice. But this client base also brings limitations: despite the Munich team’s experience in mobile communications suits and many contacts in the German auto industry thanks to the Cologne team, CBH is not represented in the first wave of proceedings involving connected cars as it litigated for both Avago and VW in other recent disputes. Its strong roots in German industry also limit CBH’s chance of playing a greater role in mobile communications proceedings. CBH currently lacks international contacts, especially in Asia and the US.

Strengths

Employee invention law for companies, litigation.

Recommended individuals

Prof. Dr. Kurt Bartenbach, Dr. Stephan Gruber (“no one knows German case law as well as he does”, competitor), Jens Kunzmann, Dr. Martin Quodbach.

Team

3 equity partners, 2 salary partners, 4 associates, 1 of counsel

Practice In IP, advice and litigation in trademarks and unfair competition and technical protection rights to an equal degree. Strong focus on employee invention law and infringement proceedings. Licences, R&D contracts and transactions.

Clients

Litigation: frequently for Schaeffler, Voith Turbo and Wacker Chemie; VW on rei vindicatio action and against Metatron regarding gas injection system; Avago against Firecomms concerning optocoupler; frequent advice on patent and invention law to Bayer and Thyssenkrupp; frequent advice on invention law to Ford; litigation and advice on invention law to Siemens and Eberspächer.