JUVE Comment

With considerable growth, especially in the ranks of the partnership, this IP firm has cemented its position as one of the most active and thus a leading litigation firm in Germany. Alexander Reetz, who joined last year, integrated seamlessly into the team, which is currently handling many SEP cases, e.g. for Sharp, IP Bridge and VoiceAge. In 2020 Wildanger expanded its associate base with a lawyer from Linklaters experienced in patent cases. More staff were necessary for the team to handle multiple series of SEP suits at the same time. The most prominent example is the work involving connected cars patents for Sharp against Daimler. Though SEP suits stand out, Wildanger’s actual strength lies in its broadly positioned and recently rejuvenated partnership. Litigation in pharma, mobile communications and mechanics patents accounts for relatively equal portions of activity.

Strengths

SEP and NPE suits. Litigation related to electronics, mechanics and pharmaceuticals.

European strategy

The boutique is banking on its independence and close cooperation with European litigation firms, though these are being wooed by many German competitors. A positive is that the partnership has been constantly growing in the past years, with the partners working on complex instructions in teams more regularly than other boutiques. This allows them to handle a number of major proceedings, especially involving SEPs, at once. With regard to pan-European patent disputes, Wildanger will have to consolidate its partnerships in European litigation to make a joint bid for cross-border cases in competition with the international teams of Bird & Bird or Hoyng ROKH Monegier. But the Wildanger partners will not give up their independence so quickly.

Recommended individuals

Soenke Fock, Eva Geschke (“extremely meticulous. She leaves no stone unturned”, competitor), Roland Kehrwald, Jasper Meyer zu Riemsloh (“dives deep into the technology and has lots of experience with SEPs”, competitor), Alexander Reetz (“first-rate”, “a lawyer you can rely on”, competitors), Wolf Graf von Schwerin (“knowledgeable, good rhetoric, unflagging energy”, competitor), Peter-Michael Weisse (“very deep understanding of SEP litigation”, competitor)

Team

9 partners, 4 associates

Specialties

Much litigation in mobile communications and pharma. Nullity suits and licences. Small trademarks and unfair competition team.

Clients

Litigation: regularly for BSH, IPBridge, Roche/Genentech; Sharp (claimant) against Daimler over LTE patent; LG (defendant) against Conversant over mobile communications; Hoccer (claimant) against Tinder over communications patent; VoiceAgeEVS (claimant) over voice coding for mobile devices; US chip manufacturer (co-defendant) against Intellectual Ventures over DSL patents (all public knowledge); Asian mobile communications company (defendant) in various suits; medical product manufacturer over heart valves; household appliance manufacturer over extraction fan technology; truck manufacturer (defendant) against competitor over steering technology; Swiss pharmaceutical company (claimant) over antibodies; coffee producers (claimant) against competitor over coffee vending machines.