The Legal 500

Kromann Reumert’s 30-lawyer team maintains its leading reputation for ‘high work ethics and short response times’, particularly in patent and trade mark litigation. Nicolai Lindgreen sits on the Danish Patent Office’s advisory boards and is Assistant Reporter General of AIPPI. Frank Bøggild handled numerous IP cases in the High Court and Supreme Court in 2011. Supreme Court litigator Erling Borcher handles product imitation, design protection, marketing practices and trade mark cases. Pia Voldmester successfully represented Stokke in the Maritime and Commercial Court in a case involving Tripp Trapp highchairs and assisted DSB with a multi-franchise agreement with Reitan Servicehandel. Copyright lawyer Martin Dahl Pedersen is representing the Danish Association of Newspapers (DDF) against Infopaq in the Supreme Court and the European Court. He also won a case for Gyldendal concerning artistic freedom of expression. The ‘thorough, experienced’ Dorte Wahl handles complex patent law matters.

Plesner’s ‘excellent’ six-partner group is recommended by global companies for patent, copyright and trade mark litigation. Life sciences is an important sector, with group head Peter-Ulrik Plesner representing Eli Lilly, Novartis, AstraZeneca and Pfizer. Plesner represented RASN (a subsidiary of Scandinavian Airlines) against Power Stow in two cases before the Maritime and Commercial Court. Per Håkon Schmidt assists Danske Bank with Community and Danish trade mark prosecutions. Schmidt and Michael Hopp are representing the Nordic Mechanical Rights Society in a test case instigated by DR and TV2. Sture Rygaard’s ‘business acumen and commercial outlook never cease to impress’. The team handles trade mark infringement and parallel import cases.

Bech-Bruun’s sizeable team, led by Klaus Ewald Madsen, handles ‘complex, high-profile’ trade mark, design, patent and copyright cases before the Maritime and Commercial Court and the European Court of First Instance. Claus Barrett Christiansen represented Abercrombie & Fitch in multi-jurisdictional trade mark proceedings, and is defending trade mark rights in court for Elvis Presley Inc and Fender Musical Instruments. Other prominent clients include Philips, GlaxoSmithKline, Microsoft and Procter & Gamble. Lisbet Andersen, who heads the trade marks group, is ‘one step ahead of her opponents and two steps ahead of her client’. Peer Petersen, who joined from Philip Law Firm, has experience in copyright law and passing-off cases.

Gorrissen Federspiel’s new clients include Aalborg Industries (now owned by Alfa Laval), Volvo and Rockwool. Janne Glæsel and group head Lasse Søndergaard Christensen are representing Budejovický Meštanský Pivovar in its ongoing battle with Anheuser-Busch over rights to the names Budweis and Budweiser. Glæsel appeared before The General Court in Luxembourg against OHIM in the so-called ‘Loudspeaker case’ concerning Bang & Olufsen’s organ pipe speaker system. Christian Kragelund leads the trade marks team.

Hans Abildstrøm’s group at Horten has ‘all-round strength’ in patents, trade marks, designs, utility models, and anti-counterfeiting, and provides ‘high-quality advice that is always linked to business decisions’. The team’s portfolio of High Court patent cases includes Anders Valentin representing Sandoz and Ole Damsbo representing Actavis, and Martin Dræbye Gantzhorn also specialises in life sciences IP. Nina Henningsen is representing independent publishing house Kastaniehøj concerning publication of the first biography of the new Danish Prime Minister. Jens Jakob Bugge heads the trade marks team. The team’s IP clients include Haribo, La Cafetiere, Infomedia, Tivoli and Orifarm.

Johan Schlüter Law Firm’s Johan Schlüter represents collecting societies, rights owners and industrial associations, and is expert in anti-piracy. Annemette Ellermann acts in trade mark cases and Jakob Plesner Mathiasen, who focuses on patents, is acting in a Supreme Court patent lawsuit regarding a Danish utility model.

Steen Lassen, Peter Lambert, Henrik Schütze and Terese Foged at Lassen Ricard are commended for their ‘outstanding performance and in-depth knowledge’ of the media industry. Recent mandates include assisting the Union of Broadcasting Organisations in Denmark with agreements on public presentation of TV in public libraries and the retransmission of TV programmes on different platforms, and representing DR and TV2 in performance rights and copyright litigation.

Jeppe Brogaard Clausen, Hanne Weywardt and Peter Gustav Olson jointly head MAQS Law Firm’s 25-lawyer team, which works closely with the firm’s Swedish and Baltic offices, handling counterfeiting and illegal parallel importing cases, community trade mark prosecutions and oppositions. Recent highlights include Clausen advising Christian Louboutin on anti-counterfeiting efforts relating to the client’s famous red-soled shoes. Weywardt successfully represented G-Star Hungary in a case concerning counterfeit T-shirts and caps. The practice represents many of the world’s bestselling brands. Rasmus Lund, Morten Bruus and Christian Vinding Thomsen lead a strong life sciences and food law group, which advises AstraZeneca, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Boehringer-Ingelheim and new client Sanofi-Pasteur.

At IP boutique Sandel, Løje & Wallberg, Johan Løje has particular expertise in trade mark portfolios, and represents the Danish Design Association, furniture manufacturer Vitra, Nokia, and Knoll International. Løje recently successfully defended a clothing manufacturer in the Supreme Court. Trade mark specialists Tanya Meedom and Susie Arnesen, who represent Ferrosan and ALK-Abelló respectively, are also recommended.

Accura Advokatpartnerselskab’s ‘service-minded, flexible’ team advises on patents, trade marks and design contracts and licensing, and IP due diligence. Practice head Jeppe Brinck-Jensen represented Haldor Topsøe in an R&D agreement with the University of Copenhagen and, together with Thomas Weincke, is representing Merck Sharp & Dohme regarding parallel imports. René Thornfeldt and Dan Ermose are recommended for their ‘excellent advice and fast response times’. Christina Type Jardorf advises Dechra Pharmaceuticals and others on trade marks. Recent recruits include Charlotte Kunckel from Poul Schmith Law Firm and European trade mark attorney Gitte Bauditz Christensen.

Kasper Heine at Bender von Haller Dragsted advises on digital rights, licensing contracts, Web 2.0, open source and digital databases. He recently assisted Industriens Pension with international trade mark registration. The municipality of Copenhagen is also a longstanding client. Peter Lind Nielsen advises Reelight.

Delacour Dania Law Firm has ‘extensive and up-to-date-knowledge’ regarding patents, trade marks and copyright. Asger Heine Jensen assisted Id-Hair Company in obtaining one of the first EU-wide injunctions to be granted by the Danish courts. Johnny Peterson assisted MEGROS (Association of Danish Pharmaceutical Distributors) to obtain an injunction regarding the use of Pharmalink. Other clients include Infopaq, Fleggaard, KONE and BLINDER International.

European trade mark and design specialist Ida Dinesen heads Elvang & Partnere’s IP department. Robert Jønsson left for an in-house role.

Lett Law Firm’s 17-lawyer group provides ‘excellent service and value for money’, and advises on trade marks, domain names, copyright, designs, patent agreements, licensing and franchising for clients including eBay, Hugo Boss and Volvo. Carsten Lorentzen and Claes Wildfang head the practice, and Lorentzen successfully represented LOTTO 24 in the Supreme Court and Pharma Medico International in a trade mark dispute.

Nordia Advokatfirma, which recently merged with a4 Law Firm, represents global brands Louis Vuitton, Dior, Lacoste and Puma. Key figure Christina Wiesner recently represented Scandinavian wholesaler JYSK against Stokke in a case involving Tripp Trapp highchairs.

With offices in Copenhagen and Aarhus, Zacco Advokater is the Danish legal arm of Zacco, Europe’s largest firm of patent and trade mark attorneys. It has particular strength in patent and trade mark litigation. The team acted for Premier Is to protect its KÆMPE LÆSKE trade mark after A-Frost marketed an almost identical ice lolly under the trade mark HVID LÆSKE. It also acted for Henkel regarding ownership of the MINIRISK trade mark in Denmark; and OshKosh against former distributor Original Stripes. Martin Sick Nielsen is the practice’s key name.

Bruun & Hjejle’s team, led by Erik Kjær-Hansen, provides transactional support and standalone advice on trade mark, copyright and patent law. Poul Heidmann advises The Danish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Lif). ‘Trusted adviser’ Robin Philip acts for retail clothing companies.

Nielsen Nørager’s Eigil Lego Andersen represents the collective rights organisation Gramex. Henrik Peytz represents Talpa Radio.

Viltoft advises architects and civil engineers on IP matters.