JUVE Comment

With a litigation engine running at full throttle, Bird & Bird has continued its impressive trajectory, cementing its position as a market leader with a high volume of prominent cases. The firm’s strong litigation practice is driven by a distinguished group of partners, including litigators Christian Harmsen, Oliver Jüngst and Boris Kreye, as well as renowned patent attorneys like Daniela Kinkeldey.

Clients from a broad range of industries entrust it with their economically important disputes. The mixed team is equally strong in high-stakes life sciences litigation and in SEP disputes for the telecommunication and streaming industries. In life sciences, the practice was highly visible in major pharma cases on the side of generics manufacturers such Teva and Betapharm. A team around Jüngst and Kinkeldey acted for new clients Advanz Pharma and Alvotech against Regeneron in the multi-jurisdictional battle over blockbuster drug Eylea. In the tech sector, the firm regularly litigates for SEP holders like Huawei and Nokia, often in series of lawsuits that play out in parallel proceedings at national courts and the UPC. This attracted new clients in hi-tech such as DAZN, which a team led by Harmsen represents in a dispute over streaming technology, and Eden Future, for which Christopher Maierhöfer acts in a dispute over augmented reality glasses.

As an integrated, pan-European IP practice and as one of Europe’s largest IP teams with a well-established mixed approach, Bird & Bird has successfully asserted itself as one of the most prominent representatives at the UPC. This is perfectly illustrated by the firm’s work for clients such as bioMérieux, GlaxoSmithKline, Edwards Lifesciences, and Menarini Diagnostics, as well as for JingAo Solar in one of the biggest disputes over solar technology at the UPC to date.

The firm continues to build its team systematically. Following an unprecedented wave of promotions in 2025, which saw highly visible litigators like Annika Lückemann elevated to the partnership, the associate ranks were expanded again. The departure of an experienced counsel to Hoffmann Eitle is therefore only a minor setback.

Strengths

Litigation across a broad range of technical fields, with a strong focus on pharmaceuticals (for both originators and generics companies) and mobile communications (including SEP and FRAND issues) provided by mixed teams. Interoffice cooperation in one of the strongest European IP practices.

Recommended individuals

Christian Harmsen (“exceptional experience and expertise in the enforcement of SEPs”, “one of the top five litigators in Germany”, competitors), Oliver Jüngst (“still at the top”, competitor), Boris Kreye (“outstanding with an excellent track record”, “the epitome of a good litigator who also understands the pitfalls of technology and delves deeply into the complexities of a case”, competitors), Annika Lückemann, Matthias Meyer, Felix Rödiger; (“the best lawyer you can dream of”, client); patent attorneys: Daniela Kinkeldey, Felix Landry

Team

35 lawyers, 17 patent attorneys

Clients

Litigation: Alvotech against Regeneron over Eylea/aflibercept biosimilar (settled 2026); Betapharm against Millennium Pharmaceuticals over Velcade/bortezomib; Teva against Mylan/Viatris over Copaxone/glatiramer acetate; Celltrion against Roche/Novartis over Xolair/omalizumab (settled 2025); Hexal/Sandoz and Teva/Ratiopharm against Biogen over Tecfidera/dimethyl fumarate; DAZN against Helios Streaming over streaming technology; Nokia against Acer and Asus and Hisense over H.265 technology (settled 2026); Broadcom against Netflix over video coding technology; Eden Future Inc. against Matrixed Reality over augmented reality glasses; Salesforce against Hoverkey over encryption and authentication methods; Electrolux against BSH over vacuum cleaners; Huawei against Sckipio over telecommunication technology; Renault against Avago/Broadcom over automotive network technology; Sekisui Chemical against Kuraray over head-up displays; Valeo against OPmobility over headlight technology. EPO oppositions: Neo against Rhodia/Solvay over rare earth mixed oxides for auto catalysts.