Plasseraud opens Amsterdam office with Simmons & Simmons patent attorney

Johan Renes (62) has moved to Plasseraud, having previously held various positions in both law firms and in-house departments. Prior to his latest move he worked at Simmons & Simmons. He has also worked for the biopharmceutical company ApoT and the genetic engineering company UniQure, as well as the patent law firm Vereenigde Octrooibureaux and DLA Piper.

Johan Renes

Renes joined Simmons & Simmons in 2021, where he gained experience in patent litigation, especially for pharma and biotech companies such as Bayer HealthCare, Samsung Bioepis and Pharmathen. For example, he advised UniQure alongside litigator Oscar Lamme in the Dutch proceedings against Pfizer concerning a haemophilia gene therapy drug. He has also represented clients at the UPC, for example Plant-e against Arkyne Technologies concerning lighting products.

Simmons & Simmons has invested heavily in establishing mixed teams in recent years, particularly in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and France. Following Renes’ move, ten professionals remain in the Amsterdam office, including two patent attorneys. The Dutch litigation team will now work closer with the German team, which has the most patent attorneys, including a Chinese patent attorney.

Later this year Xingye Huang will also join Plasseraud. She is a qualified UK chartered patent attorney, European patent attorney and UPC representative with a background in chemistry and pharmacy.

First step into the Netherlands

Plasseraud is one of the largest patent law firms in France and Amsterdam is its first Dutch office. Due to the local division The Hague, the Netherlands is an important UPC location. According to Plasseraud, the new Amsterdam office will offer a comprehensive range of IP services, with a focus on patents, ranging from filing and prosecution to defending clients’ interests in patent litigation, both at the national and European levels.

The Amsterdam team will also include another patent attorney. Ellen Broug was previously vice president intellectual property at UniQure and is a European patent attorney and UPC representative.

“The opening of the Amsterdam office marks a significant milestone in our international development,” says Eric Burbaud, managing partner at Plasseraud. “Johan’s deep expertise and his strategic vision for IP will play a crucial role in helping us better serve our clients across Europe, especially in a market as dynamic as the Netherlands.”

Focus on IP litigation

With an emphasis on IP litigation, the Amsterdam office will also serve as a hub for managing and protecting IP portfolios in all fields of technology, particularly in sectors such as life sciences, pharma, medtech, and consumer goods.

The new location is the French IP firm’s 15th office. In addition to its home country of France, where it has a total of nine offices, Plasseraud is also present in Munich, Madrid, Alicante, Shanghai, Prague and now also in Amsterdam. The teams in Munich, Madrid, Prague and Shanghai also include patent attorneys.

Plasseraud has also been taking steps towards a mixed set-up for several years. After lawyers Jean-Christophe Guerrini and Alexander Paichadze joined the IP firm in autumn 2021, Plasseraud hired litigator Sandrine Bouvier-Ravon in the beginning of 2023.