JUVE Comment

This Frankfurt team is well positioned to litigate in international patent proceedings for pharma and biotech companies. It recently conducted a suit, for example, for ViiV Healthcare against Gilead involving an HIV drug with high economic stakes. The team led by Julia Schönbohm worked closely with Linklaters’ Paris and London offices on this.

In Germany, it won an important round in cooperation with patent attorneys from König Szynka. Its reliance on external patent attorney firms means Linklaters pursues a different strategy to market leaders like Bird & Bird and Hogan Lovells. The London office occasionally delivers input on technical matters for international proceedings.

One important milestone in the development of the German team was Bolko Ehlgen being named the second patents partner. This is a crucial step towards further growth, especially in telecommunications patents. The overall firm offers additional interfaces to the key future issues, AI and blockchain, which the patent team can capitalise on for their clients.

Strengths

Pharma litigation for originator drug manufacturers.

European strategy

In the healthcare sector the patent teams in London, Frankfurt and Paris consistently work together in some high-profile cases for originator drug manufacturers. But the firm has higher ambitions for cross-border disputes. For this it lacks more visible teams in Amsterdam.

While cooperation and development work well in pharmaceutical cases, the litigious telecommunications sector lends itself to expansion for the European patent practice. To live up to its claim of becoming one of the top firms, there is still some way to go.

Recommended individuals

Julia Schönbohm (“good cooperation”, competitor)

Team

2 partners, 6 associates

Specialties

Patent litigation. Close cooperation with the dispute resolution and antitrust team. Also licences, contracts and transactions.

Clients

Litigation: ViiV Healthcare (claimant) Gilead on HIV drug bictegravir; Takeda (claimant) against CSL Behrung over agent for treating autoimmune disease; Sanofi/Regeneron (defendant) against Amgen over cholesterol-lowering drug Praluent; Bundesdruckerei against Credit Card Supplies and VTT over passports; Seoul Semiconductor (claimant) against Mouser and others over LEDs; TDK Electronics as co-defendant in supplier dispute concerning ventilation control for motors (settled in 2020).