JUVE Comment

The IP boutique remains a market leader at the forefront of national litigation. A remarkable track record for new clients such as Huawei and Malikie once more consolidiated its standing in SEP and FRAND disputes. Huawei, for example, entrusted for the first time a team around Bernhard Arnold against Disney, thus underscoring Arnold Ruess’ expertise in streaming technology disputes. Malikie banks on Marina Wehler to assert its Blackberry cellular patent portfolio. Meanwhile teams led by Cordula Schumacher and Arno Riße ran the headline-grabbing FRAND and anti-interim-licence fight for InterDigital against Amazon until the parties decided to refer the dispute to arbitration. Core client Nokia again relied on the team, this time for wide-ranging streaming suits against Warner Bros., Paramount and connected-cars defendant Geely, where Arnold Ruess secured parallel anti-suit injunctions from the UPC and Munich Regional Court.

The firm is also busy in life sciences, showing a gradual shift towards more work for originators. For example, Grünenthal retained the firm for a series of PI applications over painkiller Vimovo. Furthermore, new client Anhui Huaheng Biotechnology entrusted the team with a biotech infringement case against CJ Cheiljedang at the Regional Court Düsseldorf. The firm has also succeeded in securing further new clients amongst originators, who bank on the advice of the team for their patent portfolio strategy.

This surge of work has been absorbed without partner lateral hires, thanks to a deep bench of counsel including Lisa Rieth, Tim Smentkowski and Jan Wergin. They have already made a name for themselves, being increasingly visible in proceedings for InterDigital, Nokia, and Sanofi. Whilst the departure of four associates – some with several years experience – left gaps in the younger ranks, the firm managed to fill these with new recruits.

With one of the largest teams in Germany, Arnold Ruess is well equipped for handling a high volume of cases in national courts and the UPC. A large proportion of its proceedings for InterDigital, Nokia, and Asus/Celerity are simultaneously playing out at German courts and at the UPC. Clients also regularly entrust the the team with the coordination of cross-border litigation, as shown by their work for Grünenthal. The team has proven that national boutiques can be successful at the UPC without compromising their independence or relying on exclusive alliances.

Strengths

Litigation concerning pharmaceuticals, medical technology, mobile communications, and video technology, including SEP and FRAND issues.

Recommended individuals

Bernhard Arnold (“outstanding”, “highly committed, with a good grasp of the market and legal expertise of the highest standard”, competitors), Lisa Rieth (“very good in FRAND”, “plays a prominent role in tech and life sciences”, competitors), Arno Riße (“technically brilliant, nobody explains as well as he”, client; “highly precise and technically competent, very experienced in litigation”, competitor), Cordula Schumacher (“very knowledgeable in legal matters”, client; “thought leader in German FRAND litigation and excellent in life sciences”, competitor), Tim Smentkowski (“extremely good in technical and strategic matters, and when it comes to FRAND issues”, client), Marina Wehler (“excellent, personable, responsive”, competitor), Jan Wergin (“top performance in court, demonstrates the necessary assertiveness”, client)

Team

21 lawyers

Clients

Litigation: Huawei against Disney over HEVC streaming patents; InterDigital against Walt Disney over video streaming; InterDigital against Amazon over HDR video compression (ended 2026); Nokia against Warner Bros. and Paramount over video streaming and cloud computing (ended 2026); Nokia against Geely over 5G connectivity including anti-suit injunctions (settled 2026); Nokia against Acer, Asus and Hisense over video codec patents (partly settled 2026); Anhui Huaheng Biotechnology against CJ Cheiljedang over biotech fermentation patent; ASUS/Celerity IP against Xiaomi, Oppo, and OnePlus over mobile telecommunications; Malikie against Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, and Realme over BlackBerry cellular technology; Grünenthal against Sandoz and Abdi over painkiller Vimovo/naproxen and esomeprazol; Sanofi/Regeneron against Amgen over damages regarding Praluent/alirocumab; Zentiva against Eli Lilly over Alimta/pemetrexed; Zentiva against Bayer over Xarelto/rivaroxaban.