Thum IP opens office at Lake Constance with Daub patent attorney
At the beginning of the new year, the IP boutique Thum & Partner is opening an office at Lake Constance to bring it closer to its Swiss clientele. It has recruited patent attorney Frank Eichelhardt from local law firm Daub as a partner.
14 December 2023 by Christina Schulze
Thum IP, which was launched two years ago in Munich as a spin-off of Wuesthoff & Wuesthoff, is opening a new office at Lake Constance. In addition to experienced patent attorney Frank Eichelhardt (46), the Thum IP start-up team at Lake Constance will also include lawyer Sebastian Schneller and a patent engineer.
Eichelhardt advises his clients on filings and oppositions in the mechanical engineering, physics, medical technology, electronics, automotive engineering and communications sectors. Schneller will continue to work in soft IP.
Frank Eichelhardt
With the opening of the office, the firm is moving closer to its clients in Switzerland and south of Stuttgart. Thum IP has recently strengthened its Munich office with a further patent attorney. It now has a total of twelve patent attorneys.
Growing litigation boutique
While the Thum IP is known for its work in patent prosecution and oppositions, few competitors among the smaller patent attorney boutiques have such a strong foothold in litigation.
The firm’s core clients include Edwards Lifesciences, JUUL Labs, Scania, SRAM, Schaeffler, Phoenix Contact, Poly Medicure, Karl Storz and BSH.
Thum IP already plays a role in proceedings for Edwards Lifesciences and JUUL Labs at the UPC.
Sebastian Schneller
A regional figure
Prior to Thum IP hiring Frank Eichelhardt as a partner, he headed a team at Daub. The latter is a law firm with a large regional presence at Lake Constance.
At university, Eichelhardt studied physics, specialising in particle and nuclear physics. In addition, he also holds a doctorate in vacuum technology and tritium retention. After completing his doctorate, he was deputy head of a research group at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in the field of nuclear fusion.
Meanwhile, six patent attorneys and four lawyers remain at Daub. The firm works extensively in IP, competition and copyright law and covers a broad technical spectrum.
This includes electronics, software, AI, materials science, mechanical engineering, medical technology and biotechnology.
