Ones to Watch Netherlands 2026: Wouter Mooij

On the afternoon of Saturday 11 October, Wouter Mooij takes a brief breather in the sunshine outside the exhibition centre in Hamburg. Inside, the AIPPI has been taking place for the last four days. This is the largest international conference for patent lawyers and patent attorneys. The event has seen German patent lawyers hosting the global patent community in Hamburg — including Dutch patent attorneys such as Wouter Mooij. Alongside panel sessions and working groups on specific patent topics, one meeting with international colleagues usually follows another. “Just one more meeting,” says Mooij, sounding somewhat exhausted. As soon as the AIPPI was over, Mooij was off to Frankfurt for the next conference.

Since November 2024, the 35-year-old patent attorney has headed the chemistry and life sciences group at his firm, De Vries & Metman. As head of the practice group, Mooij is now also involved in client acquisition. But thanks to his eloquent and friendly manner, this does not seem to pose any problems. He meets colleagues from Asia, North and South America. When it comes to filing patent applications with the European Patent Office, law firms from other key economic regions are important sources of business for European firms.

Challenging times

Mooij is now responsible for this prosecution work. However, he took this on at a time of great change. On the one hand, the rapid rise of AI tools is putting increasing pressure on the work. On the other, the work is becoming increasingly international. Furthermore, the Unified Patent Court is having an ever-greater impact on the work of Dutch patent attorneys experienced in litigation. The competent national court, the District Court The Hague, is receiving fewer and fewer cases as the UPC lures them away. To better respond to these challenges, De Vries & Metman recently joined forces with two other Dutch IP firms and the Swedish IP firm Ström & Gulliksson to form an international group.

The participating firms will continue to operate under their own names. However, they will consolidate all management activities onto a shared platform. This is also where they will standardise their service offerings. The initiative is a partner-driven entity, facilitated by and co-owned with the Swedish private equity firm Consolid. The new group is currently being set up. Mooij will be preoccupied with both AI and the fact that his firm is now private equity-backed for many years to come.

The beginning

Mooij first came into contact with the patent attorney profession in 2017 at Boult Wade Tennant. At the time, he was working on his PhD at Imperial College London and undertook an internship at the UK firm. Although his time at the firm lasted only two weeks, he developed a keen interest in the profession. Mooij was drawn to the blend of scientific content and business-oriented approach. “I also like the fact that the work of patent attorneys is, on the one hand, very detail-oriented and, on the other, has a solution-oriented aspect,” he says. Mooij then completed the first half of his training as a patent attorney in London at Kilburn & Strode. Finally, in September 2021, he completed his training in Amsterdam at his current firm.

The Amsterdam-based IP boutique consists exclusively of patent attorneys, but has a good reputation not only for its prosecution work but also for its litigation activities. In the life sciences sector, Mooij’s mentor, Lilian Hesselink, is one of the best-known Dutch patent attorneys when it comes to pharmaceutical litigation. She is increasingly focusing on litigation work. Working alongside her, Mooij has represented generic drug manufacturers in a plethora of disputes, including Sandoz in a case concerning what is arguably Bristol-Myers Squibb’s most important blockbuster drug.

A real rollercoaster case

“The apixaban dispute was the case from which I learnt the most and which I enjoyed the most,” says Mooij. Hesselink and Mooij represented their client Sandoz alongside lawyers from Vondst. Bristol-Myers Squibb markets apixaban under the brand name Eliquis. By thinning the blood, the drug can help treat thromboembolic disorders such as blood clots. For several years, the innovator company tried to prevent companies from entering markets across Europe with generic versions containing the active ingredient.

“Apixaban was a real rollercoaster case with various ups and downs,” says Mooij. In May 2022, the District Court The Hague dismissed a preliminary injunction brought by Bristol-Myers Squibb against Sandoz. However, after the EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal handed down its ruling in G 2/21 on plausibility, Bristol-Myers Squibb brought new infringement proceedings against Sandoz, Stada, and Teva in spring 2023. The Court of Appeal in The Hague ruled in August of the same year that all three generic drug manufacturers’ products infringed Bristol-Myers Squibb’s apixaban SPC. After the Dutch Supreme Court dismissed the cassation appeals lodged by Sandoz and Teva in 2025, the Dutch apixaban case concluded successfully for Bristol-Myers Squibb.