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Recommended - Individuals: prosecution and nullity
Working out of four offices across the country, German patent attorney outfit Maikowski & Ninnemann distinguishes itself through its work acting alongside law firms in litigation. As well as playing a part in infringement proceedings, the ensemble is regularly seen handling nullity actions before the Federal Patent Court, and has lately served companies including HTC, Broadcom, Vodafone and Google. The latter client benefits from having its patent portfolio strategy and filings dealt with by a team that includes Gunnar Baumgärtel, Ralf Emig, Felix Gross, Christoph Schröder, and Andreas Tanner. Trained physicist Baumgärtel heads the department and has been a partner since 1999 – since then he has been diligently prosecuting patents for domestic clients and assisting international ones with their contentious needs. Mechanical engineer Emig has a similar work profile and benefits from language facilities in English, Spanish and French, while Gross holds a PhD in chemistry and has passed on his knowledge through teaching at the Technical University Berlin since 2001. Schröder brings a PhD from the Georgia Institute of Technology to his medical technology practice, while electrical engineer Tanner’s insight comes from the time he spent working in research and development for ABB Secheron.
Ralf Emig, an engineer by training and a German and European patent attorney, specialises in mechanical engineering, telecommunications and software – particularly in automotive engineering, automation technology and standard related inventions. Mr Emig has vast experience in patent prosecution, including drafting of German, European and international patent applications and the handling and coordination of procedures throughout the world. He is also regularly involved in high-profile litigation cases – for instance, in the field of telecommunications.
Mr Emig studied mechanical engineering at the University of Karlsruhe (now Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) and the Escuela Técnica Superior del Universidad del País Vasco - Bilbao, Spain with a focus on fluid dynamics and combustion engines. He joined Maikowski & Ninnemann in 2007 and has been a partner at the firm since 2016.
Mr Emig is a member of the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, the Licensing Executives Society and the German Association of Intellectual Property Experts. He is a tutor at the Centre for International Intellectual Property Studies and regularly lectures at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin for the master’s in IP and media law.
Maikowski & Ninnemann is a highly specialised patent attorney firm with offices in Berlin, Leipzig, Frankfurt and Munich and decades-long experience in IP law. Founded in 1977, Maikowski & Ninnemann now has 18 German and European patent attorneys (of whom six are partners) covering the various fields of technology – from physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and information technology to medical technology, chemistry, biochemistry and biotechnology.
Maikowski & Ninnemann’s clients are regional medium-sized firms, as well as large global companies and start-ups. Although patent prosecution is its traditional core area of business, in recent years the firm has also become well known for its expertise in patent litigation and has successfully taken part in some of the major patent disputes recently fought in Germany.
Due to their specialisation in intellectual property, Maikowski & Ninnemann’s patent attorneys have strong expertise in all areas of IP protection. They deal with clients’ projects and concerns relating to industrial property rights and develop strategic plans for the best protection of inventions, trademarks and designs, as well as the enforcement and exploitation of clients’ rights.
Taking personal care of clients’ interests lies at the centre of the firm’s strategic thinking and operation. Whether large or small, companies will find a personal counsel at Maikowski & Ninnemann. There is a strong belief within the firm that a trusting relationship between client and attorney is fundamental to achieving the best solutions for protecting and enforcing clients’ IP rights.
Maikowski & Ninnemann is a ‘pure’ patent attorney firm. In cases that require representation by attorneys at law (eg, patent infringement cases), the firm teams up with specialised external attorneys at law firms with expertise specific to the case at hand.
Services
The key services provided by Maikowski & Ninnemann are:
- advising clients on the best strategies to protect inventions, trademarks, designs, plant varieties and topographies;
- filing patent, utility model, design patent and trademark applications;
- representing clients before the German Patent and Trademark Office, the EPO, the Federal Patent Court, the EU Intellectual Property Office and other international offices regarding IP protection;
- handling litigation, including patent and trademark infringement suits before the civil courts and nullity suits before the Federal Patent Court and the Federal Court of Justice in cooperation with external lawyers;
- counselling clients with regard to licence agreements;
- monitoring and administering IP rights portfolios; and
- conducting patent, trademark and design searches and patent translations.
Areas of technology
The patent attorneys of Maikowski & Ninnemann are experienced in all areas of technology, including:
- mechanical engineering (eg, mechanics and mechatronics, plant engineering, automotive engineering, naval technology and mechanical engineering);
- electrical engineering (eg, electronics, telecoms, semiconductors, measurement and control technology and medical technology);
- physics (eg, optics and light technology (ie, optoelectronics, cameras, telescopes and lasers), medical systems technology, medical imaging and measurement technology);
- software;
- life sciences (eg, chemistry, biochemistry and biotechnology); and
- pharmaceuticals.
Clients
Maikowski & Ninnemann’s clients include many large national and international firms, as well as medium-sized companies and start-ups. In the ongoing patent wars in the telecoms and IT sectors, the firm represents, among others, leading mobile phone manufacturers and leading telecoms and IT service providers. Concerning prosecution, the firm represents various international technology companies, as well as a renowned German biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of pioneering therapeutics for common degenerative disorders and various manufacturers of vehicle systems.
Languages
Our working languages include German, English and French.