JUVE Comment

This patent attorney firm is the third largest and an excellently positioned prosecution outfit in Western Germany alongside Dompatent and Cohausz & Florack. Its highly active teams in Düsseldorf advise a broad technical spectrum of chemistry and biotech patents, as well as the auto industry. Software patents also play a significant role. MHP underscores its regional strength with a small office in Essen. The Frankfurt office is also relatively new and advises a chemicals company in Southwest Germany. MHP’s driving force is in Düsseldorf, however, and boasts a remarkable track record in litigation. The biotech team is highly active in CRISPR oppositions, for example. The firm conducts oppositions across all technical fields for its core clients, having previously filed their patents in most cases. The software and electronics team is principally known for infringement and nullity cases. However, local competitor Cohausz & Florack remains the gold standard for infringement cases in the western half of the country, because its patent attorneys continue to make consistent inroads in the major mobile phone battles.

Strengths

Prosecution with technical expertise in chemicals, biotech, engineering, auto and software patents.

Recommended individuals

Stefan Michalski, Aloys Hüttermann, Dirk Schulz, Guido Quiram, Uwe Albersmeyer, Ulrich Storz (all patent attorneys)

Team

22 patent attorneys

Specialties

Clear focus on patent prosecution with a broad technical spectrum. Opposition and nullity suits. Infringement proceedings with external lawyers. Employee invention law.

Clients

Litigation: Straw man suit against CRISPR patent at EPO; Ecoenergy against Talbot over carbon-neutral energy extraction; Gigaset on nullity suit over voice-over-IP patent; Küberit in employee invention dispute; Heiler over sports turf; IT-IS against Roche over measuring devices; Wilo on oppositions against Grundfos’ heating pump patents; Claassen on oppositions against floor patent; plastic furniture manufacturer against competitor. Prosecution: filings and oppositions for ABB, Acer, Deutsche Post/DHL, Gigaset, NTT, Phoenix Contact, SMK. Advice: Claassen on licences.