JUVE Awards names Knorr-Bremse as IP In-house Team of the Year

German company Knorr-Bremse, which develops braking system for rail and commercial vehicles, made a name for itself around the world with its successes in China. Constant review and readjustment of the internal stucture, as well as external cooperation, led to strong development of the in-house department. The small IP team at Knorr-Bremse is thus becoming a powerful player in the IP market.

The small team hires external advisors to better control costs and ensure the satisfaction of its in-house developers when filing patents. This effective set-up is run more professionally than at many of Knorr-Bremse competitors. However, the team always keeps hold of the reins through its customised IT support system.

At the same time, the IP department at Knorr-Bremse analyses its IP portfolio from a strategic point of view, consistently enforcing the company’s IP rights. Knorr-Bremse’s success lies in a constant drive to improve its processes, through methods such as using tailor-made IT tools. The team also demonstrated its clout with trademark litigation victories in China.

JUVE gave the award for IP Law Firm of the Year to Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Sullivan.

Winning criteria

Despite coronavirus restrictions, the JUVE Awards 2020 went head tonight in a new format. A new platform, juve-tv.de, broadcast the ceremony. Renowned Swiss football referee Urs Meier took the helm as this year’s compere.

Every year, JUVE awards the title of JUVE IP Firm of the Year for a firm’s annual work and achievements. All the nominees have demonstrated a strong performance and strategic development in soft IP, patent law or both. The successful handling of prominent cases and the dynamic development of the IP practice play an important role.

Since 2018, JUVE has also bestowed an award to the IP In-house Team of the Year. Here, the editorial team selects a winner from five nominees doing outstanding work and forging demonstrable dynamic growth. JUVE also considers teams in soft IP and the patent field.

In 2019, the winners of JUVE In-house IP Team of the Year and IP Law Firm of the Year were industrial engineering conglomerate Thyssenkrupp and Düsseldorf boutique Arnold Ruess respectively. The judging process recognised the latter for a remarkable overhaul of its IP department. Arnold Ruess was recognised for its pharmaceutical expertise and high-profile clients.

Follow the JUVE Awards

The awards took place on 29 October 2020. Go to juve-tv.de for more details of the judging process. To keep up-to-date with any developments, follow the hashtags #JUVEAwards and #JUVEAwards2020.