Patent attorney firm WSL opens office in Munich with HGF team

Jan Robert Naefe, Markus Zoller and Aušra Naefe have left the British law firm HGF and joined the German patent attorney firm WSL. WSL has used the new additions to open an office in Munich, having only been represented by its headquarters in Wiesbaden up to now.

Focus on life sciences and chemistry

Jan Robert Naefe and Markus Zoller previously worked at law firm Patronus IP and joined HGF in 2019 as part of a merger. The duo has now joined WSL as partners. Aušra Naefe also joined from HGF as associate. She is admitted as a European patent attorney. Two trainee patent attorneys are also part of the new team in Munich.

The three patent attorneys focus primarily on patents in the fields of life sciences, chemistry and materials sciences. They complement the firm’s existing team of three patent attorneys based in Wiesbaden.

Important clients of Jan Naefe and Markus Zoller include Voestalpine, Epitome, RAG Austria, Roche Diagnostics and Generation Bio. According to the EPO register, some of the clients have already followed the patent attorneys to WSL.

UPC firmly in view

By hiring the new team, WSL is not only expanding to Munich – arguably the most important patent location in Germany – but also strengthening its focus on litigation at the UPC. Although the newcomers do not bring any UPC proceedings with them, they are all admitted to represent clients at the new court.

WSL is one of the few pure patent attorney firms in Germany conducting UPC proceedings. Wiesbaden partner Manfred Köppen is representing the German cutting tool manufacturer Walter AG in a revocation action against Icar at the Paris central division (case ID: ACT_571160/2023). Iscar is represented by Vossius Brinkhof UPC Litigators.

WSL now has 15 patent attorneys and 4 trainees. In July 2021, the firm expanded considerably through a merger with the law firm Mehler Achler. Since then, both firms have combined their expertise to focus on patent disputes across a broad technical spectrum. In addition, the firm has taken on another patent attorney from Keil & Schaafhausen.

HGF maintains Europe-wide presence

Meanwhile, HGF still has German patent attorneys. While the firm’s main focus is on the UK, it has 25 offices in seven European countries, having recently expanded considerably. In 2023, for example, it opened new offices in Dresden and Belfast. In Germany, the firm has an office in Heidelberg in addition to Dresden and Munich. Nine lawyers and patent attorneys work in the German practice. HGF is also present with patent attorneys in Salzburg and Basel.

The firm is also involved in a UPC case. Its patent attorneys together with lawyers of Krieger Mes represent Expert Klein GmbH and Expert e-commerce GmbH in two lawsuits at Düsseldorf local division. Seoul Viosys sued the defendants in October 2023 concerning lighting technology (case IDs: ACT_594849/2023 and ACT_579244/2023). Linklaters and Schneiders & Behrends are representing Seoul Viosys.