Patent law is the same for every technology, but the practice is not. What can be claimed, how infringement is proven and which procedures matter differ considerably between mechanical engineering, telecommunications and pharma. Our attorneys-at-law and patent attorneys combine legal expertise with training in electrical engineering, physics and chemistry.
Mechanical and plant engineering
Protect processes and machines, stop copies
Automotive and mobility
Supply chains, SEPs, e-mobility
Electrical engineering and electronics
Fast, broad protection
Telecommunications and standards
SEPs and FRAND licensing
Software and IT
Technical contribution in focus
Artificial intelligence
Training methods, inventorship, disclosure
Semiconductors and microelectronics
Process, structure, topography
Medical technology
Devices, approval and freedom to operate
Chemistry and materials
Substance claims, selection inventions
Pharma, biotech and life sciences
SPCs, second medical use, generics
Physics, optics and sensors
Precise claims for measurement and parameters
Energy and environmental technology
Wind, solar, storage, hydrogen
Consumer goods, sports and food
Utility models, designs, anti-counterfeiting
Mechanical and plant engineering
In mechanical engineering, process and apparatus patents matter as much as utility models for short product cycles. Typical disputes concern copies by competitors, spare and wear parts as indirect infringement, and whether a repair is still permitted or already amounts to making a new product. For hidden manufacturing processes, an inspection order is often the decisive tool.
Automotive and mobility
Vehicles combine mechanics, electronics, software and mobile communications. Suppliers need clear rules on IP rights and indemnities in supply agreements. Manufacturers face claims based on standard-essential patents, for example for 4G and 5G in the car. Electric mobility, battery and charging technology are particularly filing-intensive fields.
Electrical engineering and electronics
In electrical engineering, speed and breadth of protection decide. Utility models complement patent applications, divisional applications keep options open against competing products. Proving infringement often requires technical analysis. Members of our team trained in electrical engineering and physics.
Telecommunications and standards
Mobile communications, Wi-Fi, codecs and industrial communication rely on standards. We advise SEP holders on essentiality and enforcement, and implementers on licence offers, counter-offers and pools. German courts and the Unified Patent Court are regarded as the most important venues for FRAND disputes.
Software and IT
Software is patentable if it solves a technical problem by technical means. We draft applications so that the technical contribution stands out clearly, and combine patents with copyright and trade secret protection.
Artificial intelligence
AI inventions raise their own questions: how is a training method claimed, how much must be disclosed, who is the inventor? Following the DABUS case law, only a human being can be named as inventor. We advise on filing strategy, inventor designation and the interplay with trade secrets.
Semiconductors and microelectronics
Semiconductor patents cover manufacturing processes, layer structures and circuit design. Infringement can often only be proven through elaborate analysis of finished components, so product claims should accompany process claims. In addition, the German Semiconductor Protection Act protects the topography of microelectronic circuits.
Medical technology
Methods of surgical or therapeutic treatment and diagnostic methods practised on the human body are excluded from patent protection, but devices and substances used in them are not. Because approval takes a long time, an early freedom-to-operate analysis is important. We combine patent strategy with questions of medical device and advertising law.
Chemistry and materials
Chemical patents work with substance claims, selection inventions and parameters. Since decision G 1/23 of the EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal, products on the market can be prior art even if they cannot be analysed or reproduced. Our team includes a patent attorney with a doctorate in chemistry.
Pharma, biotech and life sciences
In the life sciences, supplementary protection certificates extend the term and patents on further medical indications open new markets. Disputes with generic and biosimilar manufacturers are frequently conducted in preliminary proceedings. See patent filing for SPCs.
Physics, optics and sensors
Inventions in physics range from lasers and optics to sensors and quantum technologies. Claims must define measuring methods and parameters precisely. Our patent attorney is a physicist with industry experience in optoelectronics.
Energy and environmental technology
Energy technology is a growth area for patents, from wind turbines and photovoltaics to battery storage and hydrogen technology. The EPO and the German Patent and Trade Mark Office classify climate change mitigation technologies separately. For medium-sized suppliers in Lower Saxony and northern Germany, a targeted portfolio strategy is particularly important.
Consumer goods, sports and food
For consumer goods, utility models, patents, designs and trade marks complement each other. Counterfeits often arrive via online marketplaces and imports. Effective tools are trade fair injunctions, marketplace notice procedures and customs seizure.
Your technology, your market
Tell us briefly what you need. You will receive an initial assessment of the approach, deadlines and costs. Phone +49 511 357356-0 or use our enquiry form.