With a large and internationally oriented team of lawyers and patent attorneys, Bird & Bird is one of the most renowned firms for national and cross-border patent disputes, where it focuses on biotechnology, chemistry, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering as well as automotive and physics. The team also stands out for its expertise in antitrust-related patent matters, such as required in the context of standard-essential patents. Oliver Jan Jüngst and practice head Christian Harmsen often act in disputes entailing cross-border aspects and both count telecommunications as one of their sector focuses. Pharmaceuticals, automotives and food are among Felix Rödiger's areas of expertise, while Matthias Meyer regularly appears before German and European authorities in cases relating to medical devices, mobile communications, automotive and document security.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Christian Harmsen: Excellent litigator, very good in the courtroom, very good understanding of clients.'

  • 'Boris Kreye: Lots of experience as a litigator, also in complex FRAND issues, deep in the material, excellent technical understanding.'

  • 'Good technical understanding, strong customer proximity with deep insight into the business environment.'
  • 'We have been working with Felix Rödiger for several years and are extremely satisfied with his business-oriented approach to our IP investments.'

Key clients

  • Betapharm
  • Broadcom
  • ConvaTec
  • Canon Inc.
  • CureVac
  • Edwards Lifesciences
  • ElectroluxFisher & Paykel Healthcare Ltd.
  • Formax (Provisur)
  • Fraunhofer Gesellschaft
  • Gates Corporation
  • General Electric Company
  • Hexal AG
  • Huawei
  • Merck KgaA / Ares Trading S.A.
  • Meritor
  • NanoString Inc.
  • Neo
  • Nevro
  • Nokia
  • Ontex
  • Teva/ratiopharm
  • Teva
  • Valeo
  • Zentiva

Work highlights

  • Representation of Teva in a nullity action concerning a supplementary protection certificate at first instance, in appeal before the Federal Court of Justice and before the European Court of Justice.
  • Representation of CureVac in infringement proceedings concerning a European patent and three German utility models relating to the mRNA technology of the Comirnaty vaccine.
  • Represented Nokia in several patent infringement proceedings and nullity actions against OPPO and OnePlus.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Christian Harmsen

Other key lawyers

Oliver Jan Jüngst, Felix Landry, Boris Kreye, Matthias Meyer, Daniela Kinkeldey, Felix Rödiger