JUVE Comment

Maikowski & Ninnemann is a market-leading pure patent attorney firm in German patent disputes. The team of renowned partners around Gunnar Baumgärtel, Andreas Tanner and Frederick Kramer enjoys an excellent reputation, primarily for representing mobile communications companies, and their extensive experience in SEP and FRAND puts them right at the top of the market.

In infringement proceedings, the firm is clearly positioned on the side of implementers such as Apple, Google and Lenovo. The patent attorneys regularly represent these clients alongside the market-leading lawyers from Freshfields and Hoyng ROKH Monegier.

In addition, the patent attorneys run a stable prosecution practice in which strategic advice plays a major role.

European set-up

These excellent ties to mobile communications companies and lawyers have brought Maikowski & Ninnemann much UPC work. Since the team is clearly positioned on the implementer side, it often represents defendants, and there have only been a few active lawsuits so far.

Overall, Maikowski & Ninnemann is one of the few firms that has already attracted attention in the past year with more major UPC proceedings than national ones. The team includes numerous experienced and well-known patent attorneys from different generations, enabling the firm to manage the tight UPC deadlines.

Maikowski & Ninnemann has previously represented Xiaomi and Oppo in economically significant proceedings. However, the firm must now compete for such work with patent attorney teams established by law firms such as Hogan Lovells. As a result, patent attorneys are currently most often seen working alongside Magic Circle law firms such as Freshfields and Clifford Chance, which, due to their internal structure, are unlikely to take on their own patent attorneys.

Maikowski & Ninnemann must now assert itself in a shrinking circle of cooperating law firms and its business model is dependent on large litigation series that can be subject to quick settlements. But, thanks to its experience and size, the firm is well-equipped for this challenge.

Strengths

Litigation related to mobile communications.

Recommended individuals

Gunnar Baumgärtel (“excellent lead in patent litigation, as well as in strategic advice”, competitor), Ralf Emig, Felix Gross, Frederick Kramer, Christoph Schröder, Andreas Tanner (“very good”, competitor; all patent attorneys)

Team

22 patent attorneys

Clients

Apple against Corephotonics over smartphone cameras (settled in 2024); Broadcom against Nintendo and NVIDIA over telecommunications; Garmin and Fitbit against Philips over sports devices; Oppo and Lenovo against InterDigital over mobile communications; HTC against Unwired Planet over telecommunications; Phoenix Contact against Harting Electronics over electrical engineering; Xiaomi against Panasonic over telecommunications.