Ericsson brings in Taylor Wessing partner to boost litigation expertise

Eelco Bergsma left the Taylor Wessing partnership at the end of March. The firm had appointed him as partner in early 2022 after he had worked there for twelve years. From 1 May, Bergsma will take on the role of director assertion at Ericsson, reporting to Vice President Patent Assertion and Enforcement Robert Earle, who is based in the US.

Eelco Bergsma

Bergsma will continue to operate from the Netherlands and coordinate European patent litigation. UPC cases will form a significant part of his work.

Although Bergsma’s position is new, Ericsson already has a strong patent litigation team in Europe. Germany-based patent attorney Andreas Tonscheidt also works in this field. He and Bergsma will work closely on cases in future.

Familiar environment

Ericsson is one of Bergsma’s key clients. He recently led significant preparation and coordination work in pan-European lawsuits for Ericsson. In 2024, Bergsma and Taylor Wessing senior partner Wim Maas launched a campaign for Ericsson against AsusTek at the UPC local divisions in Lisbon and Milan.

The team, alongside main representative Kather Augenstein, is also defending Ericsson against three actions brought by Motorola and Lenovo.

Bergsma used the launch of the UPC to boost his market visibility. Representing Ericsson contributed significantly to this. He also earned recognition for his work for Pfizer alongside Charlotte Garnitsch in the dispute with Moderna over mRNA vaccine technology.

Though his move may come as a surprise to many in the market, it makes sense given his past connection to Ericsson.

Boost and blow

Taylor Wessing, which works extensively for Ericsson not only in the Netherlands but also in the UK, should now be able to build on an even stronger relationship with an important client. At the same time, the move presents challenges for the Dutch Taylor Wessing team.

Although the team, led by the two remaining partners Wim Maas and Charlotte Garnitsch, is busy with UPC cases, it will need to restock to cope with the high workload. The team also includes seven associates and a patent attorney.