Your patent attorneys and attorneys at law for the legal protection of industrial property rights

PRÜFER & PARTNER is ranked again in “The Legal 500” Germany 2025

We are delighted to have been ranked again this year as “Leading Firm 2025” in Germany in the categories “Patent Prosecution” and “Patent Litigation” by LEGAL 500. Thanks to a strong team, we were able to win this special award.

LNGs vs. SEPs – German Federal Cartel Office says yes to negotiating communities – an opportunity for medium-sized companies?

Negotiating communities (LNGs) of patent licensees have been approved by the German Federal Cartel Office for the first time as an opposing position to patent pools of SEP patent holders – will this open a new chapter regarding FRAND licenses?

The UP-family starts growing! ROMANIA joins UPC

On 1 September 2024, ROMANIA will become the 18th member state of the UPC. The ratification of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA) was signed on 31 May 2024.

Comment on UPC Court Decision of May 6, 2024

Before the Paris Local Division, in a case where the defendant had forced an intervener into the proceedings pursuant to Rule 316A RoP (forced intervention), the intervener has obtained a period of one month for filing its Application to Intervene as well as for filing its Statement in Intervention. Contrary to Rule 316.2 RoP, which mentions a “further period” for filing the Statement in Intervention, the Court did not set any such further period.

PRÜFER & PARTNER is ranked again in “The Legal 500” Germany and EMEA 2024

We are delighted to have been ranked again this year as “Leading Firm 2024” in Germany as well as in Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) in the categories “Patent Prosecution” and “Patent Litigation” by LEGAL 500. Thanks to a strong team, we were able to win these special awards.

Claim interpretation, burden of presentation and proof of facts from the UPC’s perspective – UPC_CoA_335/2023

The first decisions of the UPC have been handed down, and it will be exciting to learn the position of the UPC regarding the much-discussed issues of claim interpretation, the burden of presentation and proof for facts, and also regarding inventive step considerations.

Fee increase of the European Patent Office as of 1 April 2024

The European Patent Office will increase most of its fees by an average of around 5% as of 1 April 2024. The fee increase will be significantly higher for the 3rd and 4th renewal fees, which will rise by almost 30%.

Comparison of opposition proceedings at the EPO andrevocation actions at the UPC – advantages and disadvantages

Since the introduction of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) in June 2023, a new system for central attacking the validity of and thereby to nullify a European Patent has been introduced. If a European patent of concern is an EU Unitary Patent, or if a classically validated European patent was not opted out from the competence of the UPC, a central revocation action under the UPC now exists in parallel to an opposition before the European Patent Office (EPO). Therefore, the question arises: what are the pros and cons of challenging the validity either before the EPO or before the UPC? The present report provides some guidance and discusses the main advantages and disadvantages of each system – which eventually is a matter of strategic considerations whether and which advantage may prevail – be it costs, timing, speed of proceedings, and possibly other issues.

52 years of consistency and still fit for the future – Prüfer und Partner welcomes the next generation of partners

With Dr. Susanne Sonnenhauser and Dr. Christian Gärtner, two very experienced colleagues from the Prüfer und Partner team are joining the management.

Recent earthquake in Japan

We were deeply shocked to learn of the devastating earthquake in Japan and would like to express our sincere condolences to the victims of this earthquake. In these difficult times, we would like to express our deepest sympathy to you and your fellow human beings.