Clifford Chance

Last year, the patent team showed how successfully Clifford Chance has rebuilt its litigation practice in Germany. In just four years since the arrival of Dr. Tobias Hessel and Dr. Stefan Richter, the firm has become a major player in SEP disputes. Long-standing client Huawei followed the two partners to Clifford Chance and has since instructed them more extensively, including in proceedings against MediaTek, HMD, HP, and Meta. The team is acting against Meta not only for Huawei but also for other members of the Access Advance HEVC patent pool. At the same time, the practice has shown that it can represent both sides of SEP disputes, acting for patent users such as Xiaomi and, most recently, TP-Link.

The two partners have combined their client relationships with the firm’s wider network to establish a presence at the Unified Patent Court. Long-standing pharmaceutical client Pfizer now relies on Clifford Chance in several cases, including an mRNA technology dispute with Promosome. The team has also drawn on the experience of Claudia Milbradt and the firm’s ties to pharma companies to secure litigation work for Japanese client TOWA Pharmaceuticals. By expanding beyond mobile technology and video coding, the still-young patent team has quickly caught up with market leaders. Together with the newly formed Paris team, it is well placed to challenge established firms such as Hogan Lovells and Bird & Bird, particularly in UPC proceedings.