The Legal 500

‘A high-quality boutique’, Brinkhof retains a leading reputation for patent work, with Richard Ebbink being ‘top of the field’ and Mark van Gardingen ‘a very bright rising star’. The pair led for Ciba Vision in infringement proceedings against Johnson & Johnson regarding the European patent for its extended-wear contact lenses. ‘A very skilled and experienced lawyer, a smooth, effective communicator and a shrewd negotiator’, Kurt Stöpetie provides ‘a skilled legal hand for complex IP issues’, particularly trade mark and copyright litigation. He acts for consumer electronics companies such as Canon and Nikon in counterfeit and illegal import cases.

‘An outstanding law firm for IP matters’, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is ‘reliable in terms of strategy, and has extraordinary technical leverage’. Tobias Cohen Jehoram and Koen Limperg lead on trade mark matters for clients such as PepsiCo and Unilever. Jan Pieter Hustinx and ‘top patent litigator’ Gertjan Kuipers defended Sara Lee in an infringement suit brought by Nestlé regarding its Nespresso coffee capsules. Kuipers also acted for Nokia in Dutch proceedings against Apple regarding its iPad and iPhone devices.

Hoyng Monégier LLP is consistently rated as a leading IP practice, with a number of seasoned patent litigators, including Willem Hoyng and Simon Dack. They represented Johnson & Johnson and Abbott Laboratories in parallel cases regarding a patent infringement allegation brought by Bayer. Joris van Manen successfully acted for G-Star in litigation against retail chains C&A and H&M. Other clients include GSK, Sony, Philips and Nestlé.

Bird & Bird has a strong focus on cross-border work, and handles IP matters across many sectors, including life sciences, technology and energy. On the patent side, Armand Killan acted for Nestlé in its coffee capsule infringement case against Sara Lee, and Marc van Wijngaarden recently acted for Teva. Practice head Wouter Pors focuses on copyrights and trade marks.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is noted for its expertise in co-ordinating cross-border IP disputes. It recently represented Roche and Novartis in patent litigation, and has also advised Brown Forman on trade mark protection of the Jack Daniel’s brand. IP litigator Peter Hendrick has a longstanding reputation, and Rutger Kleemans is ‘always on the ball and does not leave a stone unturned’.

Hogan Lovells International LLP is particularly good for life sciences and cross-border matters. Bert Oosting, who ‘understands the interface between patent and regulatory law better than anyone’, recently represented Eli Lilly, Medinol and Sanofi-Aventis, and the ‘excellent’ Klaas Bisschop acted for Pelikan in an infringement case brought by Epson. Marc Wallheimer handles trade mark work.

IP boutique Klos Morel Vos & Schaap continues to build a strong reputation for soft IP matters. It hired Paul Reeskamp from Allen & Overy LLP, who brought over clients such as Warner Bros and TomTom. Highlights included successfully representing G-Star and Telegraaf Media in trade mark infringement proceedings and acting for architect Marc Breitman in a copyright infringement case. It also acted for Novozymes on patent litigation. Dirk Visser is ‘very proactive and hands on’.

NautaDutilh’s Charles Gielen has a longstanding reputation for soft IP matters, particularly trade marks. Clients include LEGO, Marlies Dekkers, Sanrio and Pioneer Hi-Bred. John Allen handles patent litigation. Anne Marie Verschuur was promoted to the partnership.

Simmons & Simmons LLP predominately handles patent work, especially in life sciences and TMT. It represented Samsung in litigation against Apple regarding 3G technology and Bayer Healthcare in enforcement proceedings against Abbott Laboratories and Johnson & Johnson. Practice head Bas Berghuis van Woortman ‘has great courtroom experience’. Both he and senior associate András Kupecz provide ‘an intelligent, knowledgeable, hard-hitting approach, which is not irrationally aggressive’.

BarentsKrans N.V. provides ‘no-nonsense, tailored advice; it delivers and gets the job done’. The practice handles patent, trade mark and copyright litigation but has particular strength in life sciences, with clients including Stada, Centrafarm and Mylan. It successfully represented Grohe in trade mark and domain name litigation. Practice head Marleen van den Horst is ‘very driven, knowledgable and hardworking’, while senior associate Jaap Bremer is ‘one to watch’.

CMS Derks Star Busmann handles patent, trade mark and copyright matters, especially in the life sciences and automotive sectors. It successfully represented Toyota in a parallel import case. Willem Hoorneman is ‘a specialist in the field; always willing to go the extra mile’.

DLA Piper has ‘good strength in depth and excellent skills’, especially for parallel import cases. Niels Mulder and newly promoted partner Richard van Schaik are ‘very capable lawyers’. Clients include Tom Tom, Bacardi and Converse.

Kennedy Van der Laan gives ‘practical, business-friendly and innovative advice’ to media and consumer goods clients. It advises on general IP issues and has a strong focus on trade marks, particularly in the technology, fashion and internet fields. Maarten Schut and Alfred Meijboom advise key client Nike on brand protection and litigation, respectively. Otto Volgenant defended website Punt.nl in proceedings brought against its Miffy parody characters.

SOLV Advocaten is noteworthy for its new media and internet expertise. Menno Heerma van Voss and Christiaan Alberdingk Thijm are the key contacts.

Van Doorne’s ‘extremely capable team’ is led by Remco van Leeuwen, ‘an expert in his field’, who mainly focuses on trade mark and copyright. Clients include Karl Lagerfeld and JD Nederland. Senior associate Karianne Thomas is also recommended.

AKD continues to develop a presence and is recommended for brand protection and enforcement matters. It advises Samsung on anti-counterfeiting issues and successfully defended Dutch shoe retailer Scapino against trade mark infringement proceedings brought by Converse. Peter Claassen heads the practice, while Huib Berendschot ‘creates novel solutions’.

Allen & Overy LLP’s Amsterdam team is being led by Brussels-based Geert Glas after former practice head Paul Reeskamp joined Klos Morel Vos & Schaap. The practice recently acted for Dolce & Gabbana in trade mark infringement proceedings.

Bousie Advocaten advises media and entertainment sector clients on copyright and trade mark matters, including advising the Dutch Bookseller Association on copyright legislation.

Houthoff Buruma’s Bas Le Poole focuses on trade mark and copyright matters. Recent matters include acting for Ryanair, Philips and Fujifilm in online copyright cases. It also acts for eBay in domain name disputes and represented the rights holder of the Miffy character in infringement proceedings against Sanrio regarding its Cathy character.

Ploum Lodder Princen Advocaten en Notarissen’s clients include SanDisk, Honda, Arla Foods and Samsung. Willem Leppink specialises in trade marks, and recently handled personality rights issues and coordinated cross-border anti-counterfeiting action.

Vondst Advocaten N.V is ‘a small boutique that is very dedicated and delivers good-quality work and value for money’. It is noted for its specialism in biotechnology patents expertise. Patents head Otto Swens ‘sees the big picture and is thorough, precise and top quality’. The ‘approachable and service-minded’ Tjeerd Overdijk handles trade mark and copyright disputes for Autodesk and Goodyear-Dunlop. Trade marks team head Silvie Wertwijn has ‘in-depth knowledge, and gives practical and to-the-point advice’.