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 - Individuals: prosecution
An eminent name in IP practice, SBGK has been at the cutting edge of patent law development in Hungary for decades, by virtue of its client activities and extra-curricular engagement in policy and legislative initiatives and knowledge sharing. The ensemble can be relied on to take care of the most complex matters – contentious and non-contentious – and deploys wide-ranging technical expertise and sharpened legal and strategic skills to drive satisfying outcomes. Providing superb leadership are chemical engineer Zsolt Szentpéteri, who serves as managing partner of SBGK Patent Attorneys and as a member of the board of the same and SBG Attorneys at Law, and Katalin Szamosi, the president of the firm and managing partner of its lawyer branch. They have recently been working together on an important lawsuit in the pharmaceutical sector. Another top contact for contentious matters is Péter Lukácsi, whose abundant trial experience inspires confidence. The support of Ádám György is also a near guarantee of a good outcome in high-profile litigation; he has represented a patron before the European Court of Justice in a patent case, as has Lukácsi.For those interested in prosecution, a valuable senior-level contact includes Katalin Mészárosné Dónusz, who anchors the mechanical engineering practice. A key attribute of Mészárosné is her proficiency in handling international work for major Hungarian patrons.
Zsolt Szentpéteri is the managing partner of SBGK Attorneys at Law and Patent Attorneys.
He graduated as a chemical engineer (MSc) from the Technical University of Budapest and as a special IP engineer in 1998. For several years he also attended special courses for patent attorneys at the Academy of the International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI). He qualified as a Hungarian patent attorney in 2000 and a European patent attorney in 2003.
Mr Szentpéteri’s practice areas cover patent prosecution and validation, litigation and technology transfer. He has gained substantial experience in inorganic and organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, food chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry and biotechnology.
Mr Szentpéteri is vice president of the Hungarian Chamber of Patent Attorneys and the Hungarian Group of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI); he is also a member of the Hungarian Association for the Protection of Industrial Property and Copyright and of the AIPPI, FICPI and the European Patent Practice Committee. In 2020 the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office elected him deputy treasurer; in this board member position, he is partly responsible for the financial matters of the organisation.
Professional experience
- 1988 to 1997: employee of SBGK Patent and Law Offices;
- 1997 to 2000: patent attorney candidate;
- 2000 to present: patent attorney, member of the Hungarian Chamber of Patent Attorneys;
- 2003 to present: European patent attorney;
- 2008 to present: partner of SBGK Patent Attorneys; and
- 2015 to present: managing partner of SBGK Patent Attorneys.
With more than 50 years of professional experience, SBGK Attorneys at Law and Patent Attorneys provides outstanding services in all commercial law areas, especially IP law, to domestic and international clients active in over 20 different industry sectors. Our lawyers and patent attorneys have decades of experience in all aspects of the defence and enforcement of IP rights. SBGK’s clients can rely on the expertise of our attorneys and patent attorneys in the area of legal proceedings required to secure IP rights and utilise the acquired rights. SBGK’s team of paralegals perform routine jobs associated with our clients’ IP rights quickly and with precision, under the supervision of our attorneys and patent attorneys. These tasks include IP rights portfolio management, patent annuities payment, preparing trademark searches and patent freedom-to-operate searches, as well as the completion of trademark, domain name and customs monitoring-related work. SBGK’s IP department is a well-known, reliable partner and an innovative, constantly available legal service provider that keeps abreast of law and practice developments.
SBGK’s attorneys at law are qualified to represent clients before the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the EU General Court and the Court of Justice (ECJ). Similarly, SBGK’s patent attorneys are all registered as European patent attorneys and can represent clients before the European Patent Office and the EUIPO.
SBGK has represented Unilever NV before the ECJ in the first-ever preliminary ruling referral to the ECJ from a Hungarian court in a trademark matter. Similarly, our firm also represented Rubik’s Ltd, one of the best-known brands in the toy industry, before the General Court and the ECJ in a landmark trademark case that received high media and press publicity. Furthermore, SBGK provided legal advice to its client in a case referred to the ECJ in relation to the interpretation of Article 9(7) of the EU Enforcement Directive. The interpretation of that provision has an important effect on patent litigation and in particular on compensation claims resulting from unjustified preliminary injunctions.
In addition to SBGK’s strong IP practice, the firm helps foreign investors set up their business in Europe and provides them with all the necessary legal services in company establishment, mergers and acquisitions, competition law, employment law matters and various other commercial transactions.
Network
As the leading IP law firm in Hungary, SBGK offers not only professional services but also access to a broad network of international contacts that include well-known national and international firms of attorneys at law and patent attorneys, thus guaranteeing high-quality services. SBGK’s attorneys at law and patent attorneys are members of and hold various positions in international IP organisations, such as:
- the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property;
- the International Trademark Association;
- the International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys;
- the European Communities Trademark Association;
- MARQUES;
- UNION;
- the Pharmaceutical Trademarks Group;
- the Licensing Executives Society International; and
- the Institute of Professional Representatives before the EPO.
Gateway to Europe
SBGK is looking to broaden its professional network and form partnerships with foreign patent and trademark attorneys to represent clients from Europe and further afield in international IP matters. SBGK can provide a one-stop-shop for European patent, Patent Cooperation Treaty, EU trademark and registered Community design applications.