Pinsent Masons appoints second patent partner in Amsterdam
The Dutch office of Pinsent Masons has hired renowned patent lawyer András Kupecz as its fourth partner in Amsterdam. Kupecz, who joins from his own firm, specialises in litigation and is a qualified patent attorney. He has a particular focus on the life sciences sector. The hire will reinforce Pinsent Masons' presence in a key Unified Patent Court jurisdiction.
3 December 2021 by Amy Sandys
The Amsterdam office of Pinsent Masons has hired András Kupecz as its fourth partner, and second patent-specialist partner, to boost its visibility in the Dutch market ©ake1150/ADOBE STOCK
András Kupecz, who has joined the patent team of Pinsent Masons as its second patent partner, is qualified as a lawyer, and a Dutch and European patent attorney. This makes him one of the few lawyers in the Dutch market who is both dual-qualified and specialised in patent litigation.
Pinsent Masons gains a litigator
András Kupecz
Kupecz began his career in 2003 at patent law firm Los & Stigter. He later joined Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Amsterdam as an associate.
From 2009, he worked for the renowned patent practice of Simmons & Simmons until founding his own firm in 2013.
But he remained associated with Simmons & Simmons as counsel and repeatedly worked with the team on various litigation projects in the life science sector, such as for Samsung BioEpis concerning biosimilar Humira.
Most recently, he also worked with the Amsterdam patent team of Houthoff Buruma in a patent dispute concerning a novel vehicle identification system for Dutch company Dienst Wegverkeer (RDW).
Previously, however, Kupecz has independently handled patent litigation for his own clients. Most recently, he established a good reputation in the Dutch patent market. This is due to many years of litigation experience and technical know-how.
Kupecz arrives with the UPC
For Pinsent Masons, his arrival is a perfect introduction to the Dutch patent market. For a long time, the firm has searched for a lateral hire. Now, with Austria yesterday ratifying the UPC Agreement, the court is likely to begin soon. Pinsent Masons is clearly consolidating its Europe-wide expertise, which will benefit the firm’s clients at the new court.
András Kupecz says, “I was drawn to Pinsent Masons by its deep sector focus on life sciences, and the people who work here. I had already enjoyed working alongside the firm and now moving here has given me the opportunity to continue working on pan-European cases for some great client names.”
Clare Tunstall, head of IP and life sciences at Pinsent Masons, says, “As a forum of choice in European patent actions, with the quality of judgments influencing decisions in other Member States, the Netherlands is a key jurisdiction for our clients. András has a fantastic reputation and shows clients just how important patent litigation is.”
Pinsent moves in Europe
Furthermore, in June 2021, Pinsent Masons welcomed Machteld Hiemstra as its third partner in Amsterdam. Hiemstra, who joined from Simmons & Simmons, also brought life science expertise regarding supplementary protection certificates and regulatory enforcement. The Dutch team has also recently added a senior associate.
In September 2021, Pinsent Masons also expanded its IP practice in London with Gina Bicknell from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Then, in early November 2021, the firm gained former CMS Cameron McKenna partner Gareth Morgan. He also has expertise in pharmaceutical patent litigation and regulatory issues. Morgan arrived with a five-strong lawyer team.
However, during 2021 the firm also lost two patent partners in Germany with the departure of Michael Schneider in May, and Peter Koch in August. This leaves three patent-specialist partners in Munich. (Co-author: Mathieu Klos)
