JUVE Comment

The international IP boutique Hoyng ROKH Monegier has been preparing intensively for the UPC for a long time. Early on it banked on mixed teams of lawyers and patent attorneys at multiple locations and specifically promoted cross-border cooperation between the individual offices in pan-European proceedings. Now Hoyng ROKH is reaping the fruits of these efforts. Thus, it has been one of the most active law firms at the UPC from the start. It has succeeded in guiding both long-standing regular clients such as Lenovo to the new court and in convincing new clients such as the e-bike manufacturer myStromer of its UPC expertise. For the latter, the German practice won the first trade fair injunction at the Düsseldorf local division in 2023.

Hoyng ROKH Monegier now handles numerous UPC cases spanning a wide range of technologies, from printing technology (for FujiFilm) through automotive accessories (for Magna) to household appliances (for Hurom). However, as at national courts, cases involving mobile communications and IT-related patents currently dominate at the UPC.

Clients benefit from the integrated partnership and the established cross-selling between individual offices. The law firm mobilises international teams for most proceedings, such as for Motorola and Lenovo, which German and Dutch lawyers represent against Ericsson. Clients appreciate this approach. One in-house counsel praised, “The teams are working very well together. The knowledge and quality of work, as well as overall commitment, is very high. I feel very well advised throughout.”

Thanks to its large team, Hoyng ROKH Monegier can handle multiple major UPC proceedings simultaneously. It also continuously invests in new talent. The firm appointed a partner from its own ranks and recruited two counsel (from Simmons & Simmons and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan) and an associate. Up to now, its visibility at the UPC has rested primarily on the renowned German partner Klaus Haft, who leads most of the firm’s high-profile proceedings. Market leaders such as Bird & Bird are better at giving younger lawyers space to be noticed in the market.

Strengths

Litigation in international teams concerning pharma, electronics and telecom patents, including SEP and FRAND suits.

Recommended individuals

Sabine Agé (“high level of commitment”, client), Klaus Haft (“he has impressed me”, “quality of work is always very good”, clients), Christine Kanz (“one of the best IP lawyers in Germany”, client; “talented and highly professional”, competitor about both)

Team

53 lawyers, 12 patent attorneys

Clients

FujiFilm against Kodak over lithographic printing plate precursor; Hurom against NUC Electronics and Warmcook over module for a juicer; Magna against Valeo over electric machine used in motor vehicles; Motorola/Lenovo against Ericsson over 5G patents; MyStromer against Revolt over e-bikes; Keysight against Centripetal over network protection system; Samsung Electronics against Headwater Research over smartphone operating system; Verifone and CCV against Nokia over mobile communications (settled 2024); Texas Instruments against Total Semiconductor over chips; Intel against Xiaomi over secure communication with a server.