The Legal 500

Homburger’s ‘outstanding and greatly talented’ Zurich team advises clients including Acino Pharma, F. Hoffmann-La Roche and Weight Watchers (Switzerland) on patent and copyright matters. The team acted for Nestlé and Nespresso concerning generic coffee capsules launching on the Swiss market and represented a well-known US photographer in a copyright dispute regarding unauthorised use of pictures by several Swiss newspapers. Team head Georg Rauber, Gregor Bühler and Andri Hess are recommended.

Lenz & Staehelin’s ‘strong’, ‘top-level’ group acts across the IP space, representing clients such as Merck & Co, Mars, Pfizer and the Swiss government. The team has represented clients as opponents in significant appellation of origin cases. Jürg Simon is ‘a leader in all aspects’, and he shows ‘strategic strength and business understanding’. He and fellow Zurich partner Thierry Calame are recommended, along with Dominique Rochat and Daniel Tunik in Geneva.

Lucerne-based Troller Hitz Troller is a ten-partner IP boutique with an ‘outstanding’ reputation. It advises blue-chip international clients on patent and trade mark questions pertaining to pharmaceuticals, luxury goods and nutritional products, and acts in patent litigation. Martin Hitz is recommended, as is Patrick Troller in patent litigation and Gallus Joller in trade mark litigation. Jürg Müller and Michael Noth are recommended in Bern.

Walder Wyss Ltd’s ‘excellent’ team ‘really understands the client’s business’, and successfully represented Denner in a legal dispute with Nespresso regarding the former’s sale of coffee capsules and products. Other clients include clients include Alcon, Microsoft and Hugo Boss, and it also represents several Swiss watchmakers in trade mark infringement and counterfeiting matters. Team head Magda Streuli-Youssef and Markus Frick are recommended.

BCCC Attorneys-at-law LLC’s ‘very professional and very responsive’ team advises on a range of contentious and non-contentious matters, with notable capabilities in broadcasting, media and online publishing. IP expert Philippe Gilliéron is recommended, but the highly respected Michel Jaccard recently left to found id est attorneys LLC.

BMG Avocats’ provides ‘pragmatic, time-saving and cost-effective solutions’ to its clients’ problems and has great strength in Geneva. It acts for a host of high-profile luxury and designer goods names on the full range of services from registration to exploitation and enforcement of patents, trade marks, designs and copyrights. Sylvie Gurry-Veit heads the team.

Baker & McKenzie Zurich acts for clients including Estée Lauder and Cloetta Fazer. It advised ESPRIT International on managing its European IP portfolio including numerous disputes across the continent. It also advised Kraft Foods on IP issues relating to its European reorganisation. Nicolas Passadelis and Michael Treis are recommended.

Bär & Karrer AG’s key clients include UEFA, FIAT and Mitsubishi. It advised Syngenta Crop Protection on IP aspects of the divestiture of its materials protection business to Lanxess Deutschland, and represented a client in arbitration concerning patent and process licensing agreements for power plant equipment. Michele Bernasconi, Daniel Hochstrasser and Markus Wang are recommended.

Froriep Renggli’s clients express their ‘absolute satisfaction’ with the firm and its ‘commitment, know-how, experience, service orientation, and swift and efficient working attitude’. The firm’s clients span the IT, food and drink, media and financial sectors. Practice head Roger Staub is ‘a great strategist with a no-nonsense approach’.

Bern-based Fuhrer Marbach & Partners is a ‘truly leading’ firm in the IP market and advises on a large range of matters including trade mark law, patents, designs, copyright and company names. Eugen Marbach is highly respected.

meyerlustenberger’s ‘truly excellent’ team ‘outperforms clients’ expectations’, and has expertise in the retail, pharmaceuticals, computer software and construction sectors. Team head Michael Ritscher and Reinhard Oertli are recommended, as is the ‘helpful, accessible’ Barbara Müller, who is ‘extremely well qualified in trade mark, copyright and unfair competition matters’, and gets ‘straight to the point’.

Niederer Kraft & Frey AG acts for clients including Birgit Nilsson Foundation, Confiserie Sprüngli and the International Ice Hockey Federation. It has advised Healey Sports Cars Switzerland Ltd and Healey Automobile Consultants on worldwide trade mark, domain name and design protection strategy, and has advised Thomson Reuters and Maurice Lacroix on trade marks. Nicolas Birkhäuser and Thomas Frick jointly head the team.

Lorenza Ferrari Hofer leads Pestalozzi’s three-partner Zurich team, which acts for clients including Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft and British American Tobacco Switzerland. It advised Coop on franchising and trade mark issues in its acquisition of The Body Shop franchise for Switzerland and assisted Biogen Idec on IP aspects of its acquisition of a subsidiary of Swiss start-up Neurimmune.

IP boutique Rentsch Partner AG is recommended for its ‘very well organised team, high level of service and very fast response times’, and the group ‘meets deadlines, has good business acumen and is good value for money’. Its capabilities include advising clients in the hi-tech, software, chemistry and biotech fields on patent, copyright and design law. Rudolf Rentsch has the ‘requisite legal and technical skills in patent litigation’, and Louis Lagler is ‘very hands-on and flexible in meeting client demands’.

Schellenberg Wittmer’s team, which is headed by Andrea Mondini in Zurich and Philippe Ducor in Geneva, represents key clients including Google, Philip Morris International, Bayer and Samsung. It acted for Hasbro before the Swiss Federal Court against the challenge of an ICC award regarding a terminated distribution licence.

Vischer has expertise in new media and entertainment, where it advises a variety of well-known Swiss enterprises, as well as in life sciences. Practice head Stefan Kohler is recommended for pharmaceuticals and life sciences and trade mark issues. Rolf Auf der Mauer and senior associate Claudia Keller have ‘a very good understanding of the TV industry’ and ‘understand the challenges facing the media sector’.

CMS von Erlach Henrici Ltd’s clients include Pfizer and SwissICT on a range of IP and IT-related matters. Robert Briner heads the team.

GHR Rechtsanwälte’s Michael Meer is recommended for trade mark and licensing matters.

KRSW Weinmann has expertise in trade marks, patents and copyright law.

Kellerhals Attorneys at Law’s Daniel Alder advises on a large number of IP matters, including litigation, licensing and counterfeiting cases.

MME Partners’ Martin Eckert leads a team that acts on the full range of IP and IT matters.

Meisser & Partners is a Klosters-based IP boutique with a strong name in trade mark filing as well as litigation.

Nater Dallafior Rechtsanwälte’s Mathis Berger is recommended for IP matters, particularly copyright.

Python & Peter’s Thomas Legler handles a range of IP matters.

Staiger, Schwald & Partner Ltd’s Christoph Gasser acts in trade mark and patent disputes and design matters in the pharmaceuticals and medical technology industries.

Basel’s ThomannFischer advises clients on patents, designs, trade marks, copyright, and related litigation. Daniel Plüss is recommended.

Umbricht Rechtsanwälte’s Daniel Kraus is a highly respected and experienced IP expert in trade mark, copyright and patent matters.

Wenger Plattner’s Roland Mathys provides some IP licensing advice in addition to his IT practice.