JUVE Comment

After a slower start at the UPC, the well-regarded patent litigation team at national full-service law firm Gleiss Lutz is gaining momentum. Like many national full-service firms such as Noerr or Hengeler, the small Gleiss Lutz team initially lagged behind many IP boutiques and internationally established practices in UPC work. However, since 2024, technology-focused SMEs have increasingly instructed the Gleiss Lutz team to handle their UPC litigation.

Typical clients, such as CeraCon for foam sealing technology, Trumpf for industrial lasers, and Westfalia-Automotiv for trailer couplings, are often Germany-based. Nevertheless, despite its strong roots in the German economy, the team by no means exclusively represents German companies. This is evidenced by its now settled representation of UK biotech company Abbexa in a case concerning medical diagnostic technology, and its work for Japanese firm Topcon.

The team’s first appearance in both national proceedings and before the UPC came in a case for TGI Supponor and Sportfive regarding hardware-based technology for electronic perimeter advertising in sports stadiums. In the UPC case, the team works alongside Hogan Lovells, which leads the proceedings. Following the increased confidence shown by pharmaceutical originators in the UPC since last summer, the team at the national law firm can now hope for a greater presence at the European court if it succeeds in leveraging its traditional strength in representing generic drug manufacturers such as Hexal and ratiopharm more effectively. However, to handle more UPC cases, the team will need to expand, as it is relatively small compared to market standards.

Strengths

Litigation for technology-focused SMEs.

Team

4 lawyers

Clients

Topcon against Optopol over devices for optical diagnosis; Trumpf against IPG concerning industrial lasers; CeraCon against Sunstar Engeneering regarding foam sealing technology; Janser against Meister over floor planers; Westfalia-Automotive against ACPS Automotive over trailer coupling; TGI Supponor and Sportfive against AIM Sport Vision over hardware-based technology for electronic perimeter advertising in stadiums; Abbexa against Euroimmun over medical diagnostic technology (settled 2025).