JUVE Comment

This Düsseldorf IP firm once again emphasised its strong position among the market leaders by representing clients in high-calibre infringement proceedings before national courts as well as at the UPC. The team is active for well-known players in mobile communications as well as for pharmaceutical companies. Regular client Nokia, for example, retained Arnold Ruess for various high-stakes lawsuits against Amazon, HP and Verifone, while InterDitigal is also relying on the team in a dispute over mobile phone patents. The firm is similarly active for long-standing pharmaceutical clients such as Zentiva and Sanofi. It is representing the latter in a national damages suit and in parallel proceedings at the UPC against Amgen. The firm has also succeeded in further expanding its client base, for example with work for Grünenthal and Ossifimab.

Besides its strong team of partners, with renowned litigators such as Cordula Schumacher, Bernhard Arnold and Arno Riße, the firm is continuously bringing to the fore younger lawyers who are already recognised in the market. Tim Smentkowski, for example, is described by a client as having “incredible potential” and Lisa Rieth is praised by a competitor as a “FRAND expert”. In addition to these two new counsel, the firm appointed new partners and grew again at associate level. Arnold Ruess now has one of the largest teams among IP boutiques, thus standing the firm in good stead for the UPC.

European set-up

Arnold Ruess proves that you do not need an international team or foreign offices to win clients at the UPC. For example, regular client Nokia hired the firm to represent it in a dispute against Amazon, and the team obtained the first UPC injunction for Kaldewei in an infringement case against Bette. The Düsseldorf IP boutique also has sufficient experience in cross-border patent disputes, where it regularly plays a coordinating role – a task that it has also taken on in several UPC actions, for example it coordinates the international proceedings for Nokia against HP and Amazon in the US, India, UK, and Brazil. The firm also maintains good contacts with patent law firms and foreign law firms enabling it to set up international teams if required. Following its recent growth, the firm also has the necessary manpower to put larger teams in the ring for extensive proceedings, which is an advantage in the UPC with its tight deadlines. It is no wonder that Arnold Ruess has so far shown no interest in formal pan-European cooperations such as those entered into by competitors like EIP.

Strengths

Litigation concerning pharmaceuticals, medical technology and mobile communications patents, the latter including SEP and FRAND issues.

Recommended individuals

Bernhard Arnold (“very precise, results-oriented, outstanding legal and technical expertise”, client; “excellent litigator, strategic advice, always has a new approach to complex proceedings”, “simply excellent”, competitors), Arno Riße (“super efficient”, “accurate, high level of technical expertise, experienced”, competitors), Cordula Schumacher (“a fighter in the courtroom”, “we choose her, no question, including for the UPC”, clients; “expert in FRAND”, “outstanding litigator”, “a thought-leader on German FRAND litigation, also excellent in life sciences with clear, thoughtful advice”, competitors)

Team

22 lawyers

Clients

Litigation: Nokia against Amazon over SEPs for streaming, video coding and cloud computing; Nokia against HP over SEPs for video coding; Nokia against Verifone over SEPs for POS terminals; InterDigital against Oppo over 3G and 4G; Ossifimab against Amgen over antibody for the treatment of osteoporosis; Grünenthal against Ratiopharm and 1APharma over painkiller tapendadol; Sanofi against Amgen over cholesterol-lowering drug Praluent; Zentiva against Bayer over cancer drug Nexavar/sorafenib; Zentiva against Novartis over Gilenya/fingolimod; AutoStore against Ocado over robotic warehouse technology.