Europe - Switzerland

Lenz & Staehelin

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Enjoying a strong reputation across the pharma, medical device and retail industries, Lenz & Staehelin advises notable clients across the full gamut of IP issues with demonstrable prowess in patent and licensing litigation as well as trade mark and design portfolio management. The department of ‘proactive, strategic thinkers and born litigators’, is reputed for its ability to handle landmark and complex issues for a consortium of established global clients. Joint practice head Thierry Calame utilises his longstanding experience in IP to assist with patents mandates and a broad range of arbitration, while fellow co-lead Jürg Simon is well-positioned to advise on significant patent litigation in the food and IT industry. Rounding out the team’s leadership is Sevan Antreasyan, who fields a considerable workload comprised of licensing and transactions related matters. ’Outstanding’ Peter Ling further bolsters the team’s strength with his notable proficiency in litigation.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Proactive, strategic thinkers and born litigators. What was really great is that they took the time to understand our business context before providing their opinion. It was not only a legal effort, but really an effort to understand why the matter was important for us from a commercial standpoint.’

  • ‘Peter Ling always tries to understand the in-house perspective and acts like a true extended arm of the in-house team. I really appreciate the fact that even after the case was over, Peter kept providing us with updates on legal developments he spotted and which could be relevant for our industry, even beyond the scope of TM/IP law.’

  • ‘Tailor-made legal products and exceptional legal knowledge.’

  • ‘Great firm, and a great team of lawyers. Experts in their field. Responsive and the advice is clear and concise, with clear risk assessments.’

  • ‘Very responsive and clear in their advice, they take a pragmatic approach and focus on finding creative solutions.’

  • ‘I worked a lot with Thierry Calame and Peter Ling. They are both very experienced, hard working and absolutely focused on the relevant points. Moreover, they are simply very good to work with.’

  • ‘Thierry Calame is an outstanding patent specialist with extensive experience especially before the Swiss patent court. Moreover, he has a deep understanding of technology, specifically in the field of life sciences.'

  • 'Peter Ling is an outstanding lawyer and extremely quick in understanding the issues and finding solutions.’

Key clients

  • Abbott
  • AbbVie Inc.
  • Acino International AG
  • Actavis / Mepha
  • Apple Inc.
  • Asceneuron
  • Aura Blockchain Consortium
  • Bosch
  • Cembra Money Bank AG
  • Champagne producers association, CIVC
  • Consorzio Prosecco
  • Consorzio Aceto Balsamico
  • Crocs
  • Daimler AG (now Mercedes Benz Group AG)
  • Diageo
  • Dyson
  • European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
  • Emmentaler Switzerland
  • C&E Fein
  • FIVE Hotels
  • International Olympic Committee
  • Henkel & Co
  • Harry Winston
  • Mars
  • Merck & Co., Inc. (MSD)
  • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
  • MGI Tech Ltd.
  • MSC Cruises
  • ON Holding AG
  • Prada
  • Pfizer Inc.
  • Schöck Bauteile AG
  • Swatch Group
  • Swiss Government, Armasuisse
  • Swiss Sustainable Yachts AG
  • Swiss Salt Works AG
  • Tamedia
  • Teva Pharma AG
  • Vinci Construction Terrassement
  • Weetabix Ltd
  • Wyss Center for Bio and Neuro Engineering

Work highlights

  • Represented MSD before the Federal Patent Court in an SPC infringement case, resulting in an ex parte injunction regarding the sale of a generic fixed-dose combination of sitagliptin and metformin which was later confirmed by a panel of three judges.
  • Represented CIVC in an appeal at the Constitutional Court of the Canton de Vaud, and the Swiss Supreme Court, thereby enforcing the bilateral agreement between Switzerland and the EU on geographical indications and appellations of origin.
  • Representing Apple Inc. in a patent litigation initiated by a non-practicing entity, related to information transmission technology.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Next Generation Partners

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Thierry Calame, Jürg Simon, Sevan Antreasyan

Other key lawyers

Peter Ling