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.
Silver - Individuals: prosecution and nullity
“The attorneys at Prüfer & Partner stand out from their peers for their thoughtful consideration of the position of the client. They are always responsive and provide detailed and pragmatic solutions. Their service is very satisfactory and the whole team is highly recommended.” “Jürgen Feldmeier is an experienced, go-to patent attorney in the field of high-tech engineering, and is highly appreciated for his clear-cut advice. He handles EPO proceedings and nullity actions with ease – typically with a successful result. He is great to cooperate with and he has sharp technical understanding.” “For prosecution, EPO oppositions and technically informed opinions, Andreas Oser is definitely recommended. He is reliable and brings deep experience in the field. He is customer oriented and very nice to work with.” “Dorothea Hofer is excellent. She delivers great service, responds quickly and appropriately, and she has a strong ability to understand complicated technical matters. She appropriately selects her associates to form a solid team to handle important cases like litigation cases. The quality and cost effectiveness of her work is totally satisfactory. Dorothea and her firm are among the most recommendable patent experts in Germany.” Joining the above-mentioned attorneys in the IAM Patent 1000 this year is Markus Adamczyk, a noted expert in AI and computer-implemented inventions. With skills in computer science and mechanical engineering, and research experience in-house at Vodafone, Adamczyk’s technical expertise cannot be doubted. He supports Feldmeier for printing industry leader Brother Industries and special machinery and plant engineering company Hymmen GmbH.
Andreas Oser has been working in the IP field since 1991; he became a German and European patent attorney in 1995 and has been managing partner at Prüfer & Partner since 2002.
Prior to working in IP, he studied chemistry at the University of Freiburg in Breisgau, and then conducted his PhD and postdoc studies at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich. He also holds an LLM degree in international IP laws from the University of Hagen. The master thesis related to the newly devised European Patent Litigation Agreement
Dr Oser’s primary areas of expertise are chemistry, material science, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and biotechnology – in particular, biological materials, DNA-related inventions and vaccines; therapeutic and diagnostic methods; medical products and devices, and targeted drug delivery; polymers and fibre materials; semiconductors, LEDs, OLEDs and other optical materials and optoelectronic devices; and batteries and their components.
His activities include patent prosecution (drafting, examination); a high number of opposition and appeal proceedings at the European Patent Office; patent litigation (patent infringement proceedings before German courts; nullity proceedings up to the highest instance, the Federal Supreme Court; also covering coordinated and complex EU-wide litigation activities); infringement and validity opinions; freedom-to-operate analyses; and due diligence.
Dr Oser is heavily involved in numerous litigation cases, among others related to medical devices and important drug products. Owing to the legal LLM certificate he is admitted, as a European Patent Attorney, to the newly established Unitary Patent Court (UPC), allowing him to act as Representative in infringement and invalidity actions as well as other matters before the UPC court in all participating countries.
Prüfer & Partner mbB is one of Germany’s most renowned IP law firms. It protects clients’ ideas, inventions and product developments around the world and enforces their claims in court – whether technical inventions or other IP rights. Today, nearly 60 employees – including 21 patent attorneys, attorneys at law and patent specialists – work for this IP boutique.
Prüfer & Partner was founded in 1972 by patent attorney, physicist and master optician Lutz H Prüfer as a pure patent attorneys’ office, which quickly developed into an internationally focused medium-sized law firm specialising in IP law. A successful generation change took place between 1998 and 2002 when Prüfer & Partner was taken over by patent attorneys Dr Dorothea Hofer, Jürgen Feldmeier and Dr Andreas Oser.
Since then, Prüfer & Partner has been an established and highly respected medium-sized law firm with a stable global network of partners, which advises clients on the registration of IP rights, supports them in all IP matters and defends and enforces clients’ IP rights in court.
With Prüfer & Partner, you can expect a strong and carefully selected community of patent attorneys, lawyers and technical specialists. The firm represents its clients’ interests at the highest level. Prüfer & Partner is familiar with complex and demanding mandates and works with great commitment.
Diligence and expertise play an important role in industrial property law protection. Prüfer & Partner patent attorneys and lawyers work strictly to German quality standards: thorough, punctual and cost-efficient.
Over the past 10 years, Prüfer & Partner has continuously expanded its expertise in patent and trademark litigation. Dr Hofer and Mr Feldmeier have been advising their client Brother Industries for years in a complex patent dispute concerning ink cartridges. Dr Oser supports the pharmaceutical industry, including assisting Novartis with building up its patent portfolio. Other Prüfer & Partner attorneys, including Christian Einsel, also regularly litigate both active and passive patent lawsuits. In addition, Marion Ziliox works for French and Asian clients, among others, in customs actions at the EU borders. As a result, Prüfer & Partner has extensive expertise across the entire IP field.
The Asian region has been playing an increasingly important role in the global economy for many years. It has developed into an important production location for both large and medium-sized companies. At the same time, China in particular is rapidly catching up in terms of innovative business models and products. For this reason, Prüfer & Partner has a well-established Asia-desk and continuously cultivates its business, in particular in Japan, China and South Korea. Counselling clients from these countries regarding their IP affairs in Europe and supporting European clients doing business in Asia is a strength of Prüfer & Partner’s practice.
In 2020, Prüfer & Partner completed the transformation to a fully digital office. Thanks to flexible working hours and workflows, we can be more available for our clients. Whether this be at home, in the office or hybrid working.
Looking to the future, Prüfer & Partner plans to further consolidate and broaden its activities in Germany and Europe, to serve not only the international enterprises but also SMEs and start-ups, helping them protect their innovations and strengthen their position in an increasingly competitive market.
Located in Munich, the German heart of intellectual property, Prüfer & Partner is dedicated to serving its clients as a one-stop-shop IP boutique.