Natalia Gulyaeva

Bronze - Individuals: infringement

The German patent market has unanimously urged the elevation of Hogan Lovells from silver to gold tier. The firm boasts a raft of top-notch litigators with the technical acumen and courtroom polish to secure success in almost any dispute – though the team performs with particular finesse in the world of technology and FRAND licensing. Leading litigator Andreas von Falck is an acknowledged maverick in court, whose dizzying command of oral argument inspires awe in his clientele and fear in his foes. “Andreas is a masterful strategist who oversees case tactics and logistics with ease. He updates his clients in a timely manner and instils confidence in his communications. He puts the right people into team positions, building a strong front legally and technically to suit the details of each case. He is an excellent court speaker and is calm and resolute, even under tough questioning from the opposite side. He is deeply familiar with courtroom procedure and develops his arguments in a logical and tailored manner to suit the court.” Regularly appearing by his side to deliver technical expertise is dual-qualified lawyer and patent attorney Alexander Klicznik. “Alex is very responsive and timely with his communications, He provides sound advice, with respect to validity and the chances of success. His knowledge of patent law and the German courts is deep and often on point. There are no surprises when working with him – he is personally pleasant and always well informed. His support is instrumental to client success.” Department head Miriam Gundt is deeply experienced on the life sciences end of the spectrum, from pharmaceuticals to biotech. She has skill in navigating hard-fought courtroom battles and is a savvy negotiator and overseer when it comes to licences and other IP-rich transactions. “Miriam is highly capable and knowledgeable, with enormous experience and understanding of the life sciences industry and patent litigation in Germany.” She and von Falck recently teamed up for Merck to overcome a nullified SPC via appeal to the Federal Court of Justice. Martin Fähndrich is an engineer by training, now specialising in litigating the most technically challenging patent infringement proceedings. He is skilled in cross-border disputes and has experience at almost every patent venue in the country. He and Henrik Lehment team up to support OPPO in a 14-patent litigation against Nokia. Another multi-jurisdictional litigation specialist, Lehment has particular acumen in telecommunications, consumer electronics and automobiles. Along with his work for OPPO, he also supports von Falck and Klicznik in a defence against infringement allegations for Palo Alto Networks, and helps to defend Vodafone from attacks launched by Intellectual Ventures. Patent attorney Andreas Schmid is a star performer when it comes to technically complex litigation in the tech sector. With detailed knowledge of the ins and outs of 2G, 3G and 4G technologies, he can navigate the difficult SEP disputes in the field with ease. Benjamin Schröer is another SEP/FRAND expert best known for his creative and outside-the-box approach to securing patent litigation success. An IP all-rounder, Schröer takes a comprehensive approach to protecting his patrons’ most valuable assets. He often collaborates with fellow Munich-based practitioner Steffen Steininger, a litigator with 15 years’ experience who has fought over 250 cases. With Schmid, Schröer and Steininger take on IP Bridge, Sisvel and MiiC for Ford in extensive patent disputes with infringement and invalidity elements. The Hamburg-based Christian Stoll is a patent licensing expert. He brings this familiarity with such agreements to his infringement practice, ensuring that no detail is overlooked, whatever the dispute. Clemens Plassmann earns rave reviews from his patrons: “Clemens is extremely experienced, knowledgeable and a strategic thinker. He is very quick witted, creative and thorough. The ease with which he understands and applies the science behind patents is impressive. He is calm and well spoken in court – his demeanour commands the judge’s respect. His writs are perfect to the letter. It is a real pleasure to work with Clemens. He communicates well, has a way of putting people at ease, can explain complex issues really well and has a great sense of humour.” Events in eastern Europe have brought the firm’s star Russian litigator, Natalia Gulyaeva, to Germany. “Natalia is very professional, client oriented and knows business very well. Her sense of urgency and level of responsiveness are highly appreciated. Her support is always precise and resolute – she is creative in finding solutions and takes all options into consideration. Her competency and skills make Natalia a very reliable and recommendable expert in the field, who brings a high level of competence to all IP disputes.”