UPC litigation – UPC 2026

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With its mixed set-up and renowned teams for patent litigation in several key UPC countries, Bird & Bird quickly established itself as one of the most active representatives at the European court. The team seamlessly translated solid client relationships across its various offices, such as those with Dexcom, Huawei, Nokia and Valeo, into proceedings before the UPC. Often, Bird & Bird is already active in parallel national proceedings for these clients, for example for Edwards Lifesciences, which the firm is representing against Meril in Germ...

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Hogan Lovells' fully integrated international patent practice has successfully ramped up its activity at the UPC, significantly closing the gap to the market leaders. The firm is increasingly translating established client relationships into proceedings before the new court. A prime example is Xiaomi; after the dispute with Panasonic was settled, the Chinese mobile phone manufacturer entrusted the team with further proceedings against Asus, ASC and Innovative Sonic.

The firm's work for Meril, BSN and MED-EL reinforces its strong clien...

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Building on its extensive experience in continent-wide infringement proceedings, the patent practice of this international law firm has established itself as a strong UPC representative. From the beginning, Freshfields translated its long-standing relationship to clients such as Novartis, HP and Lenovo to the UPC, representing them in major disputes. For example, the team represented Novartis and Regeneron in high-profile pharma cases such as against Celltrion over asthma drug Xolair (omalizumab), and against Accord over the administration o...

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The alliance between German firm Vossius & Partner and Dutch firm Brinkhof has made an impressive debut, successfully establishing itself as the sole collaboration of its kind at the UPC. The two firms typically handle UPC cases jointly under their shared brand, unless clients specify otherwise or conflicts of interest preclude cooperation. With few exceptions – such as for Ballinno in a case concerning football video-assistant referee (VAR) technology – Vossius' litigation-experienced patent attorneys are routinely involved in these mat...

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Clifford Chance has firmly established itself as a leading force in SEP litigation at the UPC. The team was able to build on its good start. After representing Huawei in now-settled actions against Netgear, the client promptly retained the team for other cases against MediaTek, HMD, and HP.

The firm's strategy of bringing in strong laterals also continues to pay off. The recent recruitment of David Por from A&O Shearman in Paris adds a partner with years of experience in both SEP/FRAND as well as pharmaceutical cases. This move st...

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When it comes to UPC litigation, Eisenführ Speiser has established itself as a trusted advisor for regular clients in mobile communications and SMEs across diverse technologies. The steady influx of new cases has allowed the mixed firm to develop extensive experience and build an internal core team of patent attorneys and lawyers who actively engage in UPC litigation while maintaining broad technological expertise.

Notable highlights among SME clients include representing Dolle against Farko regarding attic stairs and J-Plasma against...

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Despite a year of significant changes in its lawyer team, Hoffmann Eitle has successfully launched into UPC litigation, both in terms of quantity and quality of cases. This surge in UPC work demonstrates how deeply embedded the firm's patent attorneys are within their client base, enabling them to secure numerous new UPC instructions. This success is particularly evident in the life sciences sector, Hoffmann Eitle's most renowned technical speciality. Highlights include the patent attorneys' new work for Moderna, working alongside Freshfield...

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The mixed IP boutique Peterreins Schley has seamlessly continued its success from the initial years of the UPC. This success is primarily built on a strong presence for NPEs in cases concerning mobile communications and semiconductors. The firm was among the first movers to test the new court for such lawsuits with clients like Daedalus Prime and Headwater Research. This early engagement has led to new NPE cases for Fingon, Lionra Technologies, and Nera Innovations.

In its second key area, medical technology and devices, the firm cont...

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Quinn Emanuel continues to maintain a visible presence at the UPC, thanks to the German patent litigation team's extensive network of US clients such as Netflix and Google, as well as the excellent reputation of lead partner Marcus Grosch. However, the firm has not yet gained ground on market-leading UPC firms such as Bardehle Pagenberg.

The landmark battles of the first two years for Dexcom over glucose-monitoring devices and Tesla over automotive chips have recently concluded through settlements. Nevertheless, the team continues to ...

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The team at this pure lawyer firm, with offices in Hamburg, Munich and Paris, engaged early with the UPC and has maintained active involvement since its inception. This strategic approach is now yielding results, as both its core clientele of medium-sized companies across various technology sectors and its regular clients in the generic drug industry confidently instruct the firm in UPC cases.

A standout matter is the representation of long-standing client Stada against Sanofi in litigation concerning the cancer drug cabazitaxel. This...

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The IP team of this German full-service law firm handles a remarkably high number of UPC cases with only five lawyers, remaining far more involved than similar national outfits such as Gleiss Lutz. The lawyers continue to represent their long-standing SME client base, such as Phoenix Contact. For many of these clients, including Kunststoff KG Nehl or i-mop, the team also acts in parallel national proceedings, often in cooperation with external patent attorney firms.

The Munich team around Hannes Jacobsen has been heavily involved in U...

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DLA Piper's European patent litigation team maintained its strong performance in UPC proceedings throughout the past year, particularly for key clients Dyson, Belkin and Alpinestars. While the major dispute between Dyson and SharkNinja reached settlement, the Munich team, led by Constanze Krenz, promptly launched a new campaign for the client against Dreame concerning hair stylers. The team secured a preliminary injunction with long-arm effect beyond UPC territories, an approach competitors praised as “creative lawyering”. The German-French ...

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This well-established Düsseldorf litigation firm continues to leverage its deep roots in the German SME landscape and strong ties to patent attorney firms to secure a steady stream of UPC work. Most proceedings are managed by partners alongside external patent attorney firms, following the firm's long-standing approach in national proceedings. Examples include several cases concerning LED technology for Expert Klein, Inventronics and Emporia, conducted in partnership with HGF.

Krieger Mes' robust relationships with patent attorney fir...

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The patent litigation team of this national full-service law firm has successfully translated its strong German practice into an active UPC presence. While still renowned for its work in mobile communications, defending Asian implementers like TCL in SEP and FRAND disputes, the team has demonstrated impressive technical breadth at the European court. This is evidenced by a significant number of cases across diverse sectors such as medtech, network security, and consumer goods.

Long-standing clients have followed the team to the UPC. F...

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As an independent IP litigation boutique and leading national player in Germany, the Düsseldorf IP firm has established a growing presence at the UPC. In the court's early days, it primarily represented medium-sized companies at the local divisions in Düsseldorf and Munich. Over the past twelve months, its litigators have continued to operate across a broad technical spectrum on the defence side, representing clients such as XSYS in printing technology matters, Knaus Tabbert in caravan disputes, and ILME in electronic connector cases. More r...

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The patent litigation team of this international law firm continues to hold a strong position in UPC proceedings involving electronics and mobile communications patents. The German tech team, led by Denise Benz and Jan Ebersohl, remains particularly active in disputes at the new court. Notable cases include Dish against Aylo concerning video streaming. The German team also collaborates with Ropsatt in one of Europe's largest SEP battles, representing long-standing client Samsung against ZTE. The Paris team is also involved, advising on ETSI'...

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As one of the leading UK litigation practices with strong footprints in the pharmaceutical and mobile communications industries, Bristows had undertaken significant advance preparation before the UPC opened its doors. However, the firm experienced a notably slower start at the UPC compared to some other UK firms. In 2024, Bristows began to gain traction when regular client Novartis instructed the firm to defend against an action brought by Accord before the central division in Milan. Meanwhile, Bristows managed to transfer its second strong ...

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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...

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The patent litigation practice of this international full-service firm has solidified its position at the UPC, building on its strong focus on electronics disputes. The extensive work for long-standing client Seoul Semiconductor and its subsidiary Seoul Viosys remains a cornerstone, with the team handling a multitude of UPC proceedings concerning LED technology against various competitors. The infringement battles against Amazon and expert Klein/expert e-Commerce have meanwhile come to an end.

Linklaters’ international patent team ben...

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This mixed law firm remains one of the most visible UK firms at the UPC. It currently deploys its substantial patent attorney team at the European court, skilfully leveraging its strong position in the life sciences industry to secure a presence in a small number of high-volume cases. Jonathan Stafford, who previously conducted EPO oppositions for Meril Life Sciences, is heavily involved in UPC cases against Edwards Lifesciences regarding heart valves. Although Hogan Lovells acts as main representative, this fierce dispute between the two co...

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From the get-go, Preu Bohlig has represented its regular clients at the UPC. The lawyers of this IP boutique are involved in multiple cases, covering a broad technical spectrum from water dispensers, through steel strip plants, to saw wires. The firm’s ability to attract a continuous stream of new work from midsized tech companies often stems from its historically robust relationships with numerous patent attorney firms. The team is also well-established in telecommunications, handling proceedings for Shanghai Sunmi Technology against Nokia ...

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The patent attorneys at this independent Munich law firm have established themselves as significant players in UPC litigation, leveraging their extensive experience in IT and mobile communications. Their representation of Texas Instruments in a chip-related case exemplifies this expertise.

Unlike direct competitors such as Maikowski Ninnemann, Samson regularly acts for both plaintiffs and defendants. However, its track record, while diverse, is somewhat smaller compared to some rivals.

The firm has also developed specialist exp...

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The two patent attorneys Markus Gangl and Florian Robl at this pure patent law firm in Innsbruck are gaining recognition for their representation of SME core clients at the UPC. They made a significant impact in the early stages of the UPC with their first hearings before the Vienna local division, representing core client Alpina against competitor CUP&CINO in a dispute over a milk frother. The team has since seamlessly integrated UPC work into its daily practice. This case has progressed to Düsseldorf, and the team has demonstrated versatil...

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Trevisan & Cuonzo is the most experienced local firm at the Milan UPC division, building on its market-leading position in national proceedings. The firm's current highlight is representing long-standing client Novartis. For these proceedings, the pharmaceutical company relies on an extensive team of representatives, Daniela Ampollini’s team alongside lawyers from Bristows and Freshfields.

The firm's UPC involvement stems from two main sources: cases brought by its international regular clients before the UPC, and cases filed at the M...