JUVE Comment

This IP boutique from Düsseldorf and Munich is one of the most active litigation outfits on the patent attorney side before the German civil courts and EPO. With a strong market position, the team led by Karl-Ulrich Braun-Dullaeus and Friedrich Emmerling has an excellent reputation for litigation in complex mobile communications cases.

The firm’s experience in defending against SEP claims stands out. Continental, as a co-litigant of Ford, trusted the firm to defend it in a connected cars action by IP Bridge. One new client is Chinese semiconductor manufacturer Goodix, which is known for touch displays and which the firm defended against an attack by Wavetouch involving implementation patents.

The firm also litigates in other technological fields when high economic stakes are involved, for example the e-cigarette dispute for Philip Morris. The team operates a small prosecution practice and is looking to strategically build on this but is still called on much more frequently for its litigation strength.

Strengths

Litigation, mainly over mobile communications patents on the implementer side.

European set-up

The Braun-Dullaeus Pannen Emmerling team brings the experience needed to represent clients at the UPC in telecoms cases by joining forces for patent proceedings with law firms without patent attorneys of their own, like Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Preu Bohlig & Partner. The firm is taking a strategic wait-and-see approach to the UPC, partly because its clients from China and the automotive industry expect to be put at a disadvantage by the new system. They have been sued many times lately, however, and it is likely that their opponents will use the new European court in future. This could also become an option for regular client Huawai if it wants to push through its strong 5G portfolio.

Recommended individuals

Karl-Ulrich Braun-Dullaeus (“impressive technical expertise”, competitor), Friedrich Emmerling (“good knowledge of technology, first-tier patent-litigation experience”, client; “when it comes to standard essential patents there’s no one better”, competitor)

Team

11 patent attorneys

Specialties

Exclusively active in IP with a strong proportion of technical protection rights. More litigation work than prosecution. Also litigation in soft IP.

Clients

Litigation: Continental (as co-defendant of Ford) against IP Bridge over connected car patents; Goodix (defendant) against Wavetouch over displays; HTC (defendant) against Unwired Planet over UMTS and LTE patents; Huawei and Deutsche Telekom (defendants) against Intellectual Ventures over mobile communications; Huawei (defendant) against IP Bridge and INVTE over mobile communications; Huawei (defendant) against SolarEdge over solar technology; Philip Morris (defendant) against BAT over e-cigarettes; Thales (claimant) against Giesecke + Devrient over eSim technology (settled). Prosecution: filing and oppositions for Adidas, Conradi + Kaiser, Deutsche Telekom, Hochland, Huawei, Leonardo MW. Filing for Systec Controls, Sicat, Rhodius Schleifwerkzeuge, VVG-Befestigungstechnik.