JUVE Comment

This patent attorney firm has a well-positioned litigation practice for mobile communications, mechanics and electronics patents. Patent attorneys Philipp Harlfinger and Christof Keussen enjoy especially good names for litigation. In high-volume infringement disputes they mostly work with external law firms, such as Taliens for TCL or Hoyng ROKH Monegier for a lamp manufacturer.

The patent attorneys have a strong filing practice in northern Germany for Mittelstand companies and the subsidiaries of international corporations. Through the Stuttgart team, they nurture excellent connections to the innovative south German Mittelstand. But the good relationships with regular clients from the aviation and auto industries led to a drop in filing during the coronavirus pandemic. The firm was able to compensate for this thanks to its strong base of medical technology manufacturers and busy litigation activity. Expertise in mobile communications cases offers an important foundation for advising or even litigating for the strong Mittelstand client base on connectivity issues in the future.

However, this would require more consistent cooperation between the patent attorneys and lawyers. The latter are active in soft IP and occasionally litigate for Mittelstand companies, though this activity is hardly visible in the market.

The Munich office recently lost one patent attorney partner to an unknown destination. GDM was already too small at Europe’s most important prosecution location with just one partner. A reorganisation of the office seems inevitable.

Strengths

Patent prosecution in a broad technical field. Litigation related to automotive, aviation, IT and wind energy.

European strategy

Glawe Delfs Moll is a national prosecution firm first and foremost. But it has a renowned expert on the UPC in Christof Keussen. The firm has been preparing for the launch of this for some years, but this is moving into the background given the uncertainty about whether the UPC will open its doors. Thanks to this expertise, Glawe Delfs Moll’s patent attorneys have shown in the past that they can play a role in cross-border cases on the patent attorney side – especially in electronics and mobile communications. To build on this, the firm will have to deepen its mixed approach. But as long as the business of patent attorneys and lawyers is so different, this is difficult. This allows law firms to secure the cooperation of Christof Keussen and Philipp Harlfinger.

Recommended individuals

Philipp Harlfinger (“extremely precise and reliable”, competitor), Christof Keussen, Markus Hössle (all patent attorneys)

Team

11 patent attorneys, 2 lawyers

Partner moves

Enno Töpken (unknown destination)

Specialties

All-round IP activity. Two thirds of the practice is patent law with strong patent prosecution activity within a broad technical spectrum. Opposition and nullity suits and infringement proceedings by patent attorneys. The latter mainly with external litigators, occasionally with the firm’s own.

Clients

Litigation: TCL (claimant) against NPE in revocation case over SEP; Magna (defendant) against Henniges on infringement suit over auto equipment; Dutch corporation (claimant) against competitor over lighting technology. Prosecution: Siemens Gamesa on opposition over wind energy patent; Haag-Streit on opposition over operating microscope; filing and oppositions for Haag-Streit, JVC Kenwood, Link Group, Lufthansa Technik, Magna, Microdrones, Siemens Gamesa, Uniper and Zeiss.