JUVE Comment

The great strength of this mixed IP firm is the patent attorneys’ far-reaching roots in numerous sectors and technical fields. This gives rise to a multitude of cases for the well-positioned team of lawyers around Tobias Wuttke, chiefly for Mittelstand companies. The litigation team is best known for its mobile communications work for Deutsche Telekom, which it successfully defended against a suit by Enovsys concerning data security in mobile location technology. The team was also successful for Commscope in the battle over WiFi repeaters in trains. Given the team’s now extensive experience in mobile communications it is no surprise that a manufacturer of communication modules is banking on it in a connected cars suit. But the firm is not involved in the major battles between Avanci pool members and Daimler, despite the patent attorneys’ good connections in the auto industry. Before now, the necessary team size was lacking. But MB has strategically expanded its litigation team with young, experienced litigators – most recently in Düsseldorf with a former non equity partner from EIP, thus forging ahead with its development of a mixed litigation team at the site of Europe’s most important patent court. The patent litigator joined Meissner Bolte as a counsel. In addition, Meissner Bolte has introduced counsel status to offer young lawyers career prospects. Three litigators benefitted from this right away, one of whom was named the second partner alongside Wuttke shortly afterwards. To complete the growth efforts, these now need to raise their visibility. They will find a good basis for this in numerous top-level cases, e.g. for Electrolux, Honeywell and Juul Labs. The firm also made a coup by bringing in Rainer Engels as of counsel. He was one of the best-known presiding judges at the German Federal Patent Court for a long time and mainly strengthens the team in nullity suits. The patent attorney team also raised its headcount, with three equity partner appointments and new associate additions from industry and other firms. In Bremen, however, a physicist left Meissner Bolte for Eisenführ.

Strengths

Litigation regarding mechanical and mobile communication patents.

European strategy

With its mixed approach and a small presence in the UK, Meissner Bolte can look after its midsized German and Asian clients independently on a pan-European basis, especially if the UPC launches. By bolstering its litigation team, especially in Düsseldorf, the firm has taken an important step towards raising its visibility in cross-border cases, in the mobile communications sector above all. Meissner Bolte could strengthen this position even further by bidding for such work more exclusively with comparable firms in the UK or France.

Recommended individuals

Tobias Wuttke (“one of Germany’s excellent young litigators”, “litigation of the highest calibre”, both competitors); patent attorneys: Florian Henke (“conscientious, shrewd mind”, competitor), Eugen Popp, Kay Rupprecht

Team

73 patent attorneys, 9 lawyers

Specialties

All-round IP activity, around 50 percent of which is in patent prosecution and litigation. Filing with broad technical expertise. Nullity and opposition suits. Infringement proceedings, incl. rights to inspection, with mixed teams. Employee invention law and protection of trade secrets.

Clients

Litigation: Deutsche Telekom (defendant) against Enovsys over data security in mobile location technology; Commscope (claimant) against Comlab over WiFi repeaters in trains; Cybex (claimant) against competitor over children’s seats; Honeywell (claimant) against Opticon Sensoren over barcode scanners; Idemina (defendant) against Gemalto over SIM cards; Acandis (claimant) against competitor over stents; BTL Medizintechnik over cosmetic treatment methods; Juul Labs (claimant) over e-cigarettes; ITW (claimant) against Madag Printing over packaging machines; regular work for Electrolux and Drylock; retailer against NPE over devices that detect bottles with returnable deposit; supplier of communications systems (co-defendant) over connected cars. Advice: Deutsche Telekom on licences and FTO analysis. Prosecution: filing for Arconic, Brita, Electrolux, Facebook, Husqvarna, ITW, Mitsubishi Electric, Takeda, Thyssenkrupp, Villeroy & Boch; filing and oppositions for Johnson Controls, Mammut Sports, Pioneer.