JUVE Comment

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 matters.

The firm effectively leverages its unique German-Dutch alliance and integrated teams of lawyers and patent attorneys to manage complex cross-border disputes. The team recently showcased its joint capabilities in high-profile litigation for ZTE against Samsung, Vivo against Sun Patent, and Oppo in its now settled dispute with Panasonic.

However, both firms also appear independently in UPC proceedings. For instance, Koen Bijvank represented Amgen as a Brinkhof lawyer rather than under the joint brand due to a conflict of interest. Conversely, Advancis Medical and Brightwake rely solely on a Vossius team in their defence against BSN Medical. These instances lead some competitors to suggest the collaboration may not function as seamlessly as initially promoted by both firms.

Nevertheless, like many market-leading firms, Vossius Brinkhof maintains a strong presence across key sectors including mobile communications, medtech and pharma, typically deploying combined teams. Cases for clients such as Kodak, Roborock and Katun demonstrate the team’s broad technical expertise before the court.

The departure of highly regarded SEP/FRAND expert Andreas Kramer to Powell Gilbert represents a significant loss. While the alliance is well-positioned to weather this change, replacing his visibility and expertise in mobile communications, developed during the UPC’s first two years, poses a challenge. This creates opportunities for other Vossius partners, including Georg Rauh, already recognised for pharmaceutical cases, and Kai Rüting, to gain prominence in UPC telecommunications proceedings alongside established Brinkhof partners such as Daan de Lange.

Strengths

Litigation across a broad technical spectrum. Integrated pan-European approach, including patent attorneys.

Recommended individuals

Koen Bijvank (“sensible, strategic advice, concise briefs and presentations”, competitor), Daan de Lange (“very good quality”, competitor), Mark Van Gardingen (“strong courtroom presence”, competitor), Georg Rauh (“capable of handling very complicated cases, both legally and technically”, “great litigator, especially in pharma”, competitors), Kai Rüting (“very diligent”, competitor)

Team

29 lawyers, 49 patent attorneys, 2 dual qualified

Partner moves

Andreas Kramer (to Powell Gilbert), Ju Min Kim (to df-mp)

Clients

ZTE against Samsung Electronics over mobile communications; Vivo Mobile against Sun Patent Trust over telecommunications; Oppo against KPN over multimedia streaming and the WebRTC standard; Oppo against Crystal Clear Codec over consumer electronics; Amgen against Sanofi over cholesterol-lowering drug Praluent; Genevant/Arbutus against Moderna over mRNA technology; Promosome against BioNTech/Pfizer over mRNA technology; GXD-Bio Corporation against Myriad Genetics over breast cancer diagnostic devices; Advancis Medical/Brightwake against BSN medical over wound care technology; Boston Scientific against TaeWoong over medical technology; Kodak against FujiFilm over lithographic printing technology.