JUVE Comment

This midsized patent attorney firm is a well-known, midsized filing practice with broad technical expertise. This work is flanked by busy litigation activity in mobile communications patents, where Emmerling’s close ties to Huawei – probably the company against which the most action is being taken in Germany at present – are an asset. P&P also files many patents for Huawei, though it has to share the work with other firms. The team lost an experienced counsel to Hogan Lovells and a patent attorney went to a British patent attorney firm. The firm has frequently struggled with staffing changes of late, an indication that it lacks modern structures. It is a declared goal to introduce these to cope with the huge growth overall (by seven patent attorneys) and offer young patent attorneys prospects. The firm is struggling to make progress in building up its own litigation department with lawyers. But the lawyers’ involvement in litigation for Huawei could be an important step.

Strengths

Patent prosecution with technical expertise in electronics, mechanics, pharmaceuticals; mobile communications suits.

Recommended individuals

Dr. Friedrich Emmerling (“superb and always results-driven”, client).

Team

23 patent attorneys, 3 lawyers

Practice

Strong focus on patent prosecution related to pharmaceuticals, medical technology, electronics, increasingly mobile communications and traditional engineering. Nullity and opposition suits. Increasingly infringement proceedings with integrated teams. Also trademarks and unfair competition.

Clients

Litigation: Huawei against Unwired Planet and Intellectual Ventures regarding mobile communications; Brother against Pelikan concerning ink cartridges. Prosecution: filing and opposition suits for Sandoz-Hexal; filing for Brother, Cateye, Eos, Knorr-Bremsen, Lek, Nidek, Mizuno, Mitsubishi Denki, Trumpf, Voestalpine.