JUVE Comment

Grünecker is a large mixed German IP firm with a strong team for prosecution and litigation. The patent attorneys are among the market leaders in the latter. The mixed litigation team is continuously active in major proceedings spanning various technical fields, but especially regarding electronics, including SEPs, and mechanical engineering. Comprising more than 130 patent attorneys, the firm maintains a dynamic prosecution practice, but the ten-strong patent litigation team is also expanding. Biotech is a growth area; the firm has recently extended its expertise and client base here, particularly concerning patents for cancer treatments.

Once again, the firm skillfully used the generational change to grow and admit younger patent attorneys to the partnership. It is thus strategically expanding its ranks under its own steam, but also recently took on a lawyer as a lateral hire at the counsel level.

European set-up

Grünecker has been involved in proceedings at the UPC from day one. For example, it filed a complaint against Tesla over controls for infotainment systems on behalf of its long-standing client Broadcom/Avago. The firm has conducted new cases for this client against automotive companies for years. In addition, Grünecker is conducting a number of other proceedings with its mixed team, while the patent attorneys are involved in proceedings led by lawyer teams from other firms.

As a nationally independent law firm with a mixed team, Grünecker is thus competing not only with similarly structured practices such as Eisenführ Speiser, but its lawyers also have to compete with pure litigation boutiques that work with Grünecker’s own patent attorneys. The extent to which clients will exclusively call on Grünecker’s mixed team in future will also determine the law firm’s overall development.

Strengths

Litigation concerning mechanics, semiconductors and mobile communications, including SEPs. Well-positioned pan-European prosecution team active in many renowned technical fields.

Recommended individuals

Bernd Allekotte, Ulrich Blumenröder; patent attorneys: Jens Hammer, Moritz Höffe, Reinhard Knauer, Jens Koch, Heike Vogelsang-Wenke

Team

10 lawyers, 134 patent attorneys

Clients

Litigation: Newland against Workaround over gloves for wearable barcode scanners; AMD against Polaris over chip technology (settled 2024); Broadcom/Avago against Tesla over controls for infotainment systems; Rehau against Bulthaup over plastic edges for furniture; Hytera Communications against Motorola over radio communications solutions; Vestel Elektronik against Access Advance HEVC pool members over SEPs.