The Patent 1000 focuses exclusively on patent practice and has firmly established itself as the definitive 'go-to' resource for those seeking world-class legal patent expertise.
Recommended - Firms: prosecution
Growth is the buzzword at full-service Zacco, which recently acquired Tandberg Innovation and further expands its international presence as a result. The consultancy firm in unrivalled in its geographical reach, with over 500 professionals operating out of 30 bases across Scandinavia, Northern Europe and Asia, and with its recent expansion it can now service innovators in North America and the Middle East too. Innovation and digitalisation are the pillars upon which the IP practice at Zacco rests, and with senior partners Hans Langan and Anne Sønstevold setting the tone, the prosecution shop is thriving. Mechanical engineer Langan leverages over two decades of experience to produce robust patenting strategies that maximise his clients’ chances of success. Formerly a research scientist in the healthcare sector, Sønstevold has a keen grasp of the real-world issues faced by in-house counsel and thinks up practical and commercially sound solutions as a result. Joining them in the guide this year is Stein Aamot. Aamot is a fine choice for R&D projects, where he can bring his unique insights as a CEO of two start-up R&D companies tobear.
Recommended - Firms: prosecution and nullity
Well-known in Scandinavia, with busy offices in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, Zacco has in recent years been expanding across the continent, and its German outpost is a key contributor to this effort. Its list of clients growing longer by the day, the German group serves the whole of Europe, collaborating with the Scandinavian teams as well as the UK base to create a unified service. Deserving of a mention is Carsten Prusko – he is a PhD biochemist who brings reams of technical expertise and an adaptable approach to his practice managing portfolios.
Bronze - Firms
Silver - Firms: prosecution
Full-service consultancy firm Zacco places an importance on innovation and dynamism, and is never one to hold back in its search for creative and cost-effective solutions for its ever-increasing roster of patrons. In recent news, the group acquired Norwegian outfit Tandberg Innovation, in a move that expands its already sprawling geographical reach. It has over 500 professionals operating out of 30 bases across Scandinavia, Northern Europe and Asia, and with its recent expansion it can now also service clients in North America and the Middle East. Its bench strength and technical versatility are further demonstrated with the inclusion of eight practitioners in the guide this year: Michael Schandorf Sørensen, Casper Struve, Pernille Thorsboe, Camilla Rendal Nielsen, Thomas Sundien, Jens Jørgen Schmidt, Hans Christian Nielsen and Tomas Wässingbo. “Michael gives the absolute best service; he is almost immediately available for a call, responds to emails punctually and provides some of the best legal counselling for biotech patent prosecution in Europe. He is wonderful and a joy to work with.” “Immensely skilled and very pleasant to work with”, Struve digs deep into the technical details and is a prime choice for pharmaceutical litigation support, while Thorsboe is an SPC mastermind and has a knack for enhancing her clients’ portfolios. Electronics and information and communications technology group lead Rendal Nielsen has international filing campaigns down pat, courtesy of her in-house stint at Audi and her vast understanding of European, North American and Asian patenting processes. A technical judge at the Maritime and Commercial Court of Copenhagen, and at Denmark’s Eastern Appeal Court, Sundien puts in polished performances before the EPO and is an astute counsellor to oil-drilling technology companies. For dispute resolution support in the field of mechanics, Jørgen Schmidt is an absolute star, while Christian Nielsen is a repository of trust to several industry heavyweights looking to maximise the value of their assets. New to the guide this year, Wässingbo is a safe pair of hands for global portfolio management, where he leverages the experience he gained as a senior patent attorney with Sony Mobile Communications.
Highly-recommended - Firms: prosecution
“Meticulousness, timeliness and responsiveness are some of Zacco’s key strengths, and its attorneys do an excellent job, dig deep into the details and find interesting arguments that others may not have even thought of.” “The communication lines are always open at Zacco, and the collaboration is always smooth, professional and pleasant.” With 500 seasoned professionals operating out of 30 bases across Scandinavia, Northern Europe and Asia, the full-service consultancy is a prime pick for large-scale mandates and global portfolio management. The depth of its bench and technical diversity is further exemplified with the inclusion of 10 practitioners in the guide this year: Jörgen Linde, Michael Byström, Sofia Larsson, Paul Winblad, Tommy Somlo, Ulf Juhlin-Dannfelt, Martin Tranälv, Patrik Olsson and Maria Börlin. “Extensively experienced, Linde excels when working with universities and academics, where he explains the patenting processes in a clear way and provides crucial support.” He navigates the life sciences along with Byström, who possesses a wealth of SPC expertise. In the words of one source: “Sofia is a brilliant and responsive attorney, and really great when it comes to the technical side of medical devices. She is the first one I call when I have a matter in Europe.” Former examiner, and director of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals at the Swedish Patent Office (PRV), Winblad and Somlo bring keen industry insights to the table and have experience as examiners at the PRV. Energy technology is one of Winblad’s strong suits, while Somlo provides commercially astute infringement and freedom-to-operate analyses for those in the mechanical and medical engineering fields. Juhlin-Dannfelt knows what makes for a good patent and is an impeccable drafter, while the dual-qualified Tranälv impresses with his holistic counsel and ability to traverse the contentious/non-contentious divide. Wireless communication and novel technologies are duly protected by Olsson, who also has a knack for strategic counselling and evaluating diverse asset portfolios. Fellow IAM Patent 1000 newcomer “Börlin provides excellent support in all phases of the patenting process and is a very skilled and super experienced practitioner with a great eye for detail. She is highly recommended to anyone in need of a trustworthy and reliableattorney.”
Zacco is a modern European full-service IP firm with a 360-degree approach to intellectual property. There are more than 500 professionals working at Zacco, including over 125 authorised patent attorneys and over 75 authorised trademark and design attorneys and attorneys at law. We cover seven European jurisdictions – EUIPO/EPO, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland, and operate internationally through a comprehensive network of trusted long-term global partners. Both Zacco as a firm and many of our attorneys have achieved Top Tier or Gold rankings and recommendations from Managing Intellectual Property, World Trademark Review, Intellectual Asset Management and The Legal 500, which we believe independently verifies our commitment to quality, excellence and innovation.
Patent, trademark and design prosecution
Zacco’s international presence ensures that clients need only a single point of contact to handle all their IP prosecution in several European jurisdictions. Thanks to our impressive number of patent attorneys, many of whom are authorised European patent attorneys, Zacco has an expert ready to serve clients in nearly all current and emerging fields of technology. As a client, you will find a skilled and knowledgeable practitioner able to help you secure, protect and enforce your ideas, whether you work in chemistry, mechanics or biotech or the less physical areas of digitalisation, software and artificial intelligence, among many others.
Our trademark and design practice assists all industries with filing and prosecution, availability and infringement opinions and has a special focus on EU trademark and Community design practice, including oppositions, cancellations and appeals before the EUIPO.
Litigation and disputes
When in need of experts in IP litigation and dispute matters, clients can rely on Zacco to represent them across our seven jurisdictions and beyond. Unlike more traditional law firms, we are renowned experts in intellectual property, meaning that we have both the legal and the technical expertise in-house to successfully represent your interests and enforce your intellectual property. Our experts can represent you directly, or provide litigation support to another legal counsel acting as your trusted representative before the authorities.
In contrast to many other IP firms in Scandinavia, Zacco also provides a full range of cross-border IP legal services. These services are offered through cooperation with law firms and lawyers working and sharing offices with Zacco throughout Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Germany.
The legal practice serves all industries with legal advice and assistance related to intellectual property. This includes due diligence, drafting and negotiation of contracts or licensing agreements, data protection and other compliance matters, marketing law, e-commerce, litigation, domain name conflict resolution, customs surveillance and counterfeit prevention. Zacco’s lawyers have successfully represented international clients in proceedings before national courts and the European Court of Justice.
Digital brands
With a significant portion of IP infringement now taking place online, we have introduced services to help clients stay ahead of new and emerging threats to digital intellectual property. Our digital brands team can now monitor IP and brand rights online, assisting with domain name registration and security, and actively monitoring for counterfeiting and other potential infringements in online marketplaces or social media.
Our vision – IP 360: The Future of Intellectual Property
Zacco takes care of our clients’ innovation, identity and digital assets – everything that you literally cannot put your finger on. We protect these assets, we give our clients ownership and we make them theirs to keep – now and in the future.
The world changes, and so do we. Zacco continuously evolves to best serve the changing needs of intellectual property. As the world gets closer, we have broadened our scope of services to meet the implications and opportunities presented by digitalisation.
Our size allows us to have specialists in almost all areas of intellectual property. Our service offerings cover the whole range of patent, trademark and design protection and litigation, as well as secure software development, digital brand protection, cybersecurity and portfolio management.
More than 150 years of experience with innovative thinking
Our history as an international IP firm dates back to 1870. Through continuous focus on internal collaboration, the development and expansion of our services and our long-term growth strategy, Zacco has become one of Europe’s largest and most experienced IP firms.
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