Litigation: Lawyers – Germany 2018

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This mixed firm is among the German market leaders in patent prosecution and patent litigation to an equal extent. BP has had a turbulent time in every respect. The lawyers had the sudden death of internationally well-regarded managing partner Peter Hess to cope with. The litigation practice also grew with a four-strong team around former Freshfields partner Chrocziel. This not only brought connections to Audi, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, but valuable expertise in antitrust, and broadened the comparatively slim litigation practice. BP also e...

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This mixed patents team is still among Germany’s undisputed market leaders for patent litigation. The lawyers are better positioned than the up-and-coming patent attorney team. Clients from a wide array of industries trust in B&B, although the integrated, mixed team has seen stronger years (regular client Nokia has been somewhat restrained with active suits). The team is especially active in major proceedings for medical product manufacturers like Fisher & Paykel and Edwards Lifescience. Envipco’s lawsuit against the German bottle deposit syste...

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

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This market-leading patent litigation practice had another outstanding year. HL is omnipresent in both mobile communications proceedings, where it litigated for four parties (Vodafone, Google, LG and ZTE) in the major dispute against Intellectual Ventures, and in the pharmaceuticals sector, with clients like Merck, Eli Lilly and Hoffmann La Roche. The German team is the powerhouse of the extremely strong European patents group. But apart from all the litigation success, the year was marked by strategic changes, both positive and negative. The t...

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The sheer number of proceedings (no other German firm conducts more litigation at present), extremely good ties in the court city Düsseldorf and the huge appeal of Verhauwen secure KM a top position among the German patent litigation firms. In mobile communications proceedings the firm fights on the side of pure NPEs but also for the industry-oriented MPEG4-Pool and its members. This dispute alone gave rise to many proceedings and vast know-how in SEP and FRAND issues. Away from the MPEG4-Pool, industry clients like Saint-Gobain retain KM less ...

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The developments seen in this market-leading patent litigation practice could not have contrasted more. Following two quiet years by QE’s standards, the litigation for Qualcomm against Apple led to a huge rise in litigation work. In terms of case numbers, the practice is almost on a par with Düsseldorf boutiques. The fact that Grosch’s team masters mobile communications patents and the enforcement of these before the courts to such an extent is largely thanks to close ties with Google. But the years in which the Quinn team alone litigated for t...

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Supported by a young partnership, this Düsseldorf law firm is a market leader for patent litigation. Although it does not reach the high case numbers of competitor Krieger Mes, ROP conducts more litigation than many other German litigation teams. The firm boasts a broader technical positioning than Krieger Mes, as the lawyers are seen in both high-level pharmaceuticals and mobile communications suits. ROP is only active here on the side of industry/originators. In the major patent battles, teamwork between the ROP partners is more consistent th...

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This litigation team is at the forefront of the market in the lawyer scene. Of all the leading litigation firms FBD has the smallest team following the move of renowned Munich partner Chrocziel, but it is still very hard-hitting. The Düsseldorf team, with the experienced and highly visible Hufnagel and the young yet established Prinz zu Waldeck und Pyrmont, conducts high-profile proceedings for loyal clients. In the series of proceedings for Apple and Nikon, FBD works closely with Hogan Lovells lawyers due to its team size and the complexity of...

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This large and renowned patent litigation team is praised by competitors for its expertise in pharmaceuticals proceedings. TW is also increasingly visible in mobile communications litigation for Asus and ZTE, but lost two salary partners active in mobile communications suits in Düsseldorf. The team could absorb this loss on the whole thanks to its strong headcount, but it was a blow for the Düsseldorf team, which was already too small. Through its traditionally strong pharmaceuticals specialty, TW made headway in the mechanics, electronics and ...

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This mixed IP firm is among the market-leading practices on the patent attorney side, but the litigation team is also excellently positioned when it comes to pharmaceuticals suits. HE has now raised the headcount of its prosecution team and underscored the importance of this by appointing four partners from its own young patent attorneys. The renowned litigation practice was expanded with an associate lawyer in Munich. The Düsseldorf litigation team, however, still needs reinforcements, partly because the litigators do not enjoy a similar stand...

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

The patent litigation team of this IP boutique is active in an unusually large number of high-profile proceedings despite its small size. The most notable example here is the joint preparation of a suit for Broadcom/Avago with Grünecker in the much-observed dispute against VW/Audi over semiconductor patents. As the first case involving connected cars, this is groundbreaking. The team also works for ZTE and Wiko in mobile communications cases – but generally on the defendant side in NPE suits. Numerous large Mittelstand companies are also among ...

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Traditionally, this litigation practice chiefly represents German Mittelstand companies in infringement proceedings before German courts. But CMS also stepped up cross-border work, where it is benefiting from its ties to other patents teams from the CMS network – an important step for a promising position at the UPC. One prime example is advice to an Israeli household products manufacturer, for whom the German litigators worked with the German Olswang patent attorneys for the first time since the merger of CMS Cameron McKenna and Olswang in Lon...

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Sonntag’s patent litigation practice has a very solid client base in an array of technical fields, especially pharmaceuticals, telecoms, consumer electronics and consumer goods. GL was again involved in the pharmaceuticals sector’s major international disputes on the side of regular clients. Since of counsel Bopp only litigates in selected cases, the team has a narrow setup, which cannot keep step with the dynamic progress made by some market leaders. Nevertheless, the team shows that it has the potential to make a play for the top of the marke...

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Kellenter’s patent litigation team was active again in numerous series of proceedings, often in combined teams with other litigation firms like Krieger Mes. In recent years, Kellenter’s work for NPEs like IPCom and Fipa slightly overshadowed the fact that HM is actually an industry firm, but now the latter clients have come back to the fore. A major series of proceedings for Saint-Gobain against 3M and work for Brita and GE subsidiary Concept Laser bear witness to this. On the side of Maxim Integrated as co-litigant for Samsung against Fundamen...

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Like Bird & Bird, JD has opted for a mixed approach with a well-positioned litigation practice and strong prosecution practice for much longer than other law firms. The latter practice raised its patent attorney headcount. Both filing and litigation centre on international biotech and pharmaceuticals companies. The team has an asset in the close ties to offices in the global firm network, as JD litigated in a host of pharmaceuticals proceedings in various countries. The German litigation team is also active in proceedings involving mechanics or...

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• Litigation: Patent Attorneys

JUVE Comment

This German patents practice around Feldges focuses largely on litigation and remains well positioned in pharmaceuticals proceedings. High-profile cases in this sector include work for Pfizer (regarding Lyrica) and Hoffmann-La Roche. A&O also landed a major German chemicals and pharmaceuticals corporate in cooperation with the strong British team. But the most important event for the German practice was the long-hoped-for partner reinforcement for mobile communications cases. Up-and-coming expert in this field Ebersohl joined in December 2017 a...

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This small IP boutique occupies a niche as a flexible patent litigation specialist on the side of NPEs and innovative Mittelstand companies. By bringing in Neels as a second patent partner, the firm is taking the next step towards establishing a broader and harder-hitting team. The new partner conducts infringement proceedings for MTU Aero Engines, thus reinforcing the firm’s core Mittelstand client base. In infringement proceedings the firm litigated for glasses manufacturer Clic Googles. But Ampersand is also well positioned on the side of NP...

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The German patents team of this international firm boasts a renowned litigation specialist, Herr, who is dual-qualified as a patent attorney. B&M therefore conducts a host of separate nullity and opposition suits and is hired increasingly often by clients like Becton Dickinson and RealID for infringement proceedings and opposition suits. A respectable portion of proceedings are conducted with other offices in the international network. But B&M is nowhere near as visible in cross-border proceedings as market leaders Hogan Lovells and Bird & Bird...

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DLA’s team focusing on patent litigation has taken crucial development steps, like building up a small Cologne team around Cepl since summer 2017. He boasts experience in pharmaceuticals suits, which he has already brought into play for Medtronic. The team is set to serve the Düsseldorf market. But the German and European practice centres on the Munich team around Gampp, who had an excellent year in mobile communications proceedings. His litigation for auto supplier Harman as the central co-litigant for VW/Audi in the Avago suit involving conne...

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After Holzapfel’s arrival last year, the German patents team of this US firm has developed into a visible practice for chemicals and pharmaceuticals litigation, and even more so for advice to the auto industry on connected cars. However, the firm was absent from the first major suit by Broadcom against various industry participants, incl. regular client Harman due to conflicts of interest. Even according to competitors, Holzapfel is very visible in the industry’s standardization processes regarding connected cars from Düsseldorf. He also litiga...

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Very active for a long time for NPEs, competitors are keen to describe Noerr as a “pure NPE firm” in patents. But the team, which is highly visible in patent litigation, is seeing a transformation. In line with Noerr’s actual orientation as an industry firm, it is increasingly working for production companies, e.g. for generics manufacturer TAD Pharma in the pharmaceuticals sector and for an auto manufacturer in mobile communications. Advisory work has always centred on industry companies, a clientele for whom the patents team is also looking t...

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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 conta...

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The patents practice of this Hamburg IP firm frequently litigates for long-standing clients from the healthcare and food sectors. The team delivered success in an injunction before Munich Regional Court (Landgericht) for generics manufacturer Aliud Pharma in a dispute against Gilead concerning HIV drug Truvada. HU is constantly branching into new sectors, e.g. the packaging and consumer goods industry, for whom it litigates and files patents. The very small filing practice got in position early on in future-oriented fields like e-mobility and s...

JUVE Comment

The patent litigation team of this primarily deal-driven firm has a good name for pharmaceuticals litigation. The lawyers are active in two international battles for Shire and a US biotech company. The practice continued its positive development elsewhere too by broadening its technical know-how. Schönbohm’s team conducted cross-border litigation for Seoul Semiconductors concerning LEDs. Both the Korean LED manufacturer and Shire show the direction the young German team is looking to move in: more high-volume proceedings working closely with th...

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This IP boutique has a busy filing practice for a largely international client base. With its mixed approach PS is especially active in disputes. The firm conducts many opposition suits for clients like BorgWarner and Bose. But Peterreins and Schley are also conducting a series of nullity suits and infringement proceedings for Boston Scientific concerning heart valve prostheses, with some success. The practice got a boost in mid-2018 with well-known Munich litigator Adam joining as partner, bringing new client Airbus with him. The firm also wel...