JUVE Comment

This small Munich patent attorney firm operates a busy granting practice, especially for mechanical engineering and electronics, as well as a visible litigation practice. The team often combines work on validity matters, such as EPO oppositions or nullity suits, with technical advice in simultaneous infringement proceedings on the side of law firms. For example, WBH acted for Optical Imaging in a dispute against Zeiss (with Eisenführ Speiser) and for Ferdinand Peer against Comuto (with Taliens).

WBH demonstrated its broad technical setup in the work for regular client HTC involving mobile communications, as well as lighting technology for smartphones. For its prestigious medical technology client Neovasc Tiara, WBH has been providing the full range of its services for years, from entitlement actions and nullity suits to filing and EPO oppositions. Wachenhausen himself is no longer the sole representative of this technical breadth; Thorsten Haslinde has also made a name for himself in medical technology suits.

Strengths

Litigation over electronics, mobile communications and medical device patents. Prosecution regarding electronics and mechanical engineering.

European set-up

As a patent attorney firm specialising in litigation, WBH is well set to represent clients at the UPC. Recently strengthened contacts to medical technology companies such as Neovasc Tiara and Biolase could buoy up a future presence at the new court, as this is a highly competitive market and, in this industry, key patents are enforced particularly tenaciously, also internationally. But the team is too small for large-scale international patent battles at the UPC. As with other small patent attorney firms, alliances with other similar outfits abroad and IP boutiques with teams of just lawyers would make sense.

Recommended individuals

Thorsten Haslinde, Marc Wachenhausen (both patent attorneys)

Team

7 patent attorneys

Specialties

Patent prosecution in mechanical engineering, chemistry, electronics and mobile communication. EPO oppositions, nulity suits, infringement cases with external lawyers.

Clients

Litigation: Optical Imaging (claimant) against Zeiss over imaging technology for ophthalmology; Ferdinand Peer (claimant) against Comuto over navigation technology; HTC (defendant) against KPN over mobile communications; HTC (defendant) against Tridonic regarding OLED patents; MB Digitalprint (defendant) against Schneider over sealing technology; Neovasc (defendant) in entitlement action against Edwards Lifesciences over heart valves (settled 2021); Innovative Memory Systems (claimant) against Micron over SSD memory cards (settled 2021). Prosecution: Neovasc (opponent) in EPO oppositions against Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, St. Jude and others over medical technology; International Edge (opponent) against Blue Gentian in EPO opposition over stretchable hose. Filing and oppositions for Aveva Group, Biolase, Crown Equipment, Fluidmaster, Gauff Telematics, Greenbox, GoPro, Guangxi LiuGong Machinery, Neovasc, Security People, Syntace, Smylio, The Crosby Group, TQ Systems, Thule, ZF Friedrichshafen, ZTE. Advice: Thule Sweden, Telebrands, ZF Friedrichshafen on portfolio management; Syntace on licensing project; ParcelLock on FTO analysis.