Altius and De Clercq join forces for UPC litigation

The Unified Patent Court has transformed the European patent litigation landscape. Now its influence extends to Belgium, where two prominent Belgian IP boutiques — Altius and De Clercq & Partners — will unite their UPC activities. Both firms made this announcement today.

Altius specialises in IP litigation and has one of Belgium’s best-known patent litigation teams. De Clercq is among Belgium’s most renowned patent attorney firms.

While maintaining their independence, the firms will collaborate on UPC litigation under the brand Altius De Clercq UPC Litigation Team. Their 27 UPC representatives will work together exclusively. Eight are partners: Christophe Ronse, Kirian Claeyé and Philippe de Jong from Altius, alongside Ann De Clercq, Liesbet Paemen, Koen Vanhalst, Sakina Bounaga, and Andrej Michalík from De Clercq.

Maximum collaboration

The partnership encompasses joint case handling, client acquisition and knowledge sharing. The team handles all aspects of UPC disputes, from strategic assessment to evidence gathering, first-instance actions and appeals.

“For UPC matters, we can now offer clients and contacts an integrated team approach where that best serves their interests, while always remaining flexible to accommodate conflicts or specific client preferences,” says Liesbet Paemen.

Altius partner Kirian Claeyé says: “The development of the UPC is the main driver behind us moving closer together. Both law firms have known each other for a long time through joint client work. A good year after the launch of the UPC, we began discussing joining forces.”

“Altius De Clercq reflects a shared ambition to represent clients in UPC litigation in a manner that is both technically robust and strategically decisive,” adds Christophe Ronse from Altius’ patent litigation team.

“By integrating legal and technical expertise in one team, we are able to support clients with clarity, speed and focus — exactly what UPC litigation requires,” adds Ann De Clercq, founding partner of De Clercq.

First UPC experience

The firms have launched a joint website. They are currently advising an Asian company on UPC matters, for example. Altius also recently represented Jozef Nelissen at the UPC. Working with Dutch firm Arnold & Siedsma, Altius filed an infringement claim against OrthoApnea concerning a medical device, which included inspection proceedings. Arnold & Siedsma recently joined private-equity-backed IP group Rouse.

The Altius De Clercq structure mirrors that of Vossius Brinkhof UPC litigators. The German and Dutch firms combined their UPC activities under one brand before the court’s launch, while maintaining independence in their national markets.

Strong in pharma

Altius and De Clercq are limiting their exclusive cooperation to UPC cases initially. Both emphasise that arrangements for non-UPC clients remain unchanged: they will continue operating independently under their own names, with all non-UPC advice and litigation services available through existing channels.

Altius is a Belgian full-service firm based in Brussels with a strong IP practice. Nine lawyers work in patent litigation and are UPC representatives. De Clercq, which focuses on patent attorney work, has offices in Gent, Hasselt and Leuven. The firm has 21 patent attorneys of which 18 are registered as UPC representatives. In addition, the firm has four 4 trademark and design attorneys.

The firms’ limited UPC presence partly reflects their strong life sciences client base. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies form their core clientele with a strong focus on originators. De Clercq is known for EPO opposition work for the Broad Institute concerning CRISPR Cas technology and handles patent prosecution for Kodiak Science and Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Other clients include Total Energies, Yara International, Procter & Gamble, Compagnie Gervais Danone, Sysmex, Materialise and various universities and research institutions.

The Altius patent team has represented Bayer regarding Xarelto and Moderna concerning COVID-19 vaccines. Regular clients include Novartis, Amgen, Gilead, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and MSD. Beyond pharmaceuticals, the team works with Hydroko, HYE, Supercube, Ecobeton, Willemen, Cartonnages Roland and Tinnu.