Cohausz & Florack > Dusseldorf, Germany > Firm Profile

Cohausz & Florack
BLEICHSTR. 14
40211 DÜSSELDORF
Germany

Intellectual property > Patent litigation: patent lawyers Tier 1

Cohausz & Florack, a mixed law and patent law firm with offices in Düsseldorf and Munich, is one of the market's top addresses, particularly for proceedings pertaining to licensing programs for standardized technologies (SEP); here, Gottfried Schüll is the key contact. The team covers both supervision and coordination of infringement and nullity proceedings in SEP as well as in other technical areas, while its second particular strength lies in the life sciences and pharmaceuticals fields, where it applies in-depth expertise in opposition proceedings alongside its wealth of experience in nullity and infringement proceedings; Arwed Burrichter has made an excellent name for himself in this sector. Natalie Kirchhofer, whose expertise includes biochemistry, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, also enjoys a very good reputation. Other key figures include Christoph Walke, who specializes in communications engineering and audio and video processing, and Jochen Kapfenberger, who is primarily active in proceedings related to mechanical engineering and process engineering.

Testimonials

Arwed Burrichter: Outstanding patent attorney, judicial strategies and excellent detailed knowledge, is excellent at understanding the client and his needs.

Excellent subject matter knowledge and litigation experience.’

Key clients

Alison Hi-Tec Co. Ltd.

Bayer AG

IP Bridge

NEC

Ocado Innovation Limited (UK)

PUMA SE

Sanofi

Sino-Ressource

Vitasweet Co. Ltd.

Intellectual property > Patent prosecution Tier 1

Based in Düsseldorf and Munich, Cohausz & Florack's IP specialists are just as popular with international corporations as they are with German medium-sized companies. The boutique offers a one-stop shop for IP, covering patents and utility models as well as employee inventions and soft IP. The range of services includes the drafting and registration of IP applications as well as representation in patent granting procedures before the DPMA and the EPO. License agreements, freedom-to-operate research and contentious proceedings represent additional mainstays. The technically versatile team is well equipped to assist with mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, information and communication technology matters as well as in the chemistry and life sciences industries. In addition to its strong German and European prosecution practice, the team also impresses with expertise in international matters with a focus on US, Chinese and South Korean clients. Arwed Burrichter (chemistry, life sciences), Natalie Kirchhofer (chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceuticals, life sciences), Hendrik Bücker (communications engineering, medical technology, software, materials engineering, regenerative energy technology), Christoph Walke (communications engineering, audio and video processing), Jochen Kapfenberger (process engineering and mechanical engineering) and Mathias Karlhuber (electronic program guides, medical technology, chassis technology) are among the key contacts. Johannes Simons retired at the end of 2021.

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘Technically very competent; ‘Chemistry’ between our inventors and PA is just right; also works at short notice for spontaneous inquiries.’

‘Deep understanding of our market and excellent knowledge of the patent process with great chemical knowledge.’

‘Experienced intellectual property attorneys with extensive international reach.’

‘Very competent team, quick answers and individual advice.’

‘Christoph Walke: Very competent and flexible.’

‘Matthias Waters: Very competent and always helpful.’

Key clients

Ascensia Diabetes Care

Autokabel

Bayer AG

Bayer Crop Science

Beijing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co.,Ltd

Bilfinger Noell

bio-tec Biologische Naturverpackungen GmbH & Co. KG

Bombardier

Brillux GmbH & Co. KG

Carl Zeiss SMT AG

Deutsche Post DHL

DIRAK GmbH

Elanco, Inc.

EWM AG

Ferdinand Lusch GmbH

FIBRANT (DSM’s former Caprolactam business unit)

FOGTEC Brandschutz GmbH & Co. KG

Francotyp-Postalia AG & Co. KG

Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.

Goldbeck

innogy SE

KAMAT GmbH & Co KG

KOBIL GmbH

Kyowa

LECO Corporation, US

Lhoist SA

natsu Foods

Otto Junker GmbH

PCC SE

Plasmatreat GmbH

RWE SE

Scheidt & Bachmann

SIG Technology AG, SIG Combibloc Systems GmbH

UPM

Viega GmbH & Co. KG

Vinventions

Vorwerk & Co. Interholding GmbH

COHAUSZ & FLORACK is a law firm founded in 1954 comprising 36 patent attorneys and attorneys-at-law as well as about 110 employees. The multidisciplinary law firm has offices in Dusseldorf and Munich. The firm supports its clients – international companies as well as medium-sized companies in Germany – in all matters relating to intellectual property rights and unfair competition, in many cases having done so for decades. This includes, among other services, the drafting and filing, administration and licensing of extensive property rights portfolios, searches for third-party intellectual property rights and the associated Freedom-to-Operate expert opinions as well as cooperation agreements. C&F also represents its clients in proceedings concerning infringement and validity of intellectual property rights. The firm sees itself as a strong partner and advises its clients proactively, individually and holistically on all IP-relevant issues. To this end, the 30 patent attorneys and 5 attorneys-at-law possess particular expertise in their respective fields and work together in an interdisciplinary, efficient and trusting team.

C&F combines the know-how of all technical fields under one roof: from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and ICT to chemistry and life sciences. In addition, C&F has extensive experience with IP proceedings in other countries, including not only EU member states, but also the USA, China, and Korea, and is able to rely on its strong network of partner law firms across the world. Internally, C&F focuses on the long-term development and high-quality training and further education of its employees, all of whom approach the protection of innovations with unparalleled interest and openness. As a result, C&F is able to make a decisive contribution to ensuring that companies invest in developments and remain competitive while enriching society with their ideas.

Prosecution: We advise innovative companies comprehensively in the area of prosecution. From the demanding initial registration of property rights up to their grant – we’ll accompany you along the way to reliably protect your ideas. Because we know how: In the last 5 years, we have filed ca. 3,200 patent applications (including 1,600 initial applications) and registered more than 3,300 trademarks. In total, we currently manage around 24,000 patents and 19,000 trademarks.

Litigation: Whether for the enforcement of intellectual property rights or the defense against unjustified claims by third parties, our expertise benefits you in infringement proceedings. We’ll enforce your intellectual property rights in court or defend against unjustified claims by third parties. In doing so, we are also active before the Federal Patent Court, the Federal Court of Justice, and the German Patent and Trade Mark office. Of course, we can also represent you before all other courts in Germany – whether in the case of infringements of patents and utility models, the infringement of trademarks or designs, in contractual matters, or when dealing with potential infringement under competition law. For the past 25 years, we have worked on over 100 new patent nullity suits and infringement proceedings per year. In addition, we take on more than 75 new opposition and appeal proceedings each year. We have drafted well over 4,000 expert opinions on SEPs in total.

Validity proceedings: We stand up for you if your intellectual property rights are attacked. Regardless of whether your property right is being challenged or whether you want to challenge the validity of someone else‘s property right – we’ll support you all the way. We’ll represent you before the Federal Patent Court and the Federal Supreme Court. In the field of trademarks, we have handled almost 2,500 trademark infringement proceedings as well as some 3,500 trademark opposition proceedings for our clients over the past 25 years.

Research: Research always trumps risk: With comprehensive know-how and a variety of tools, we support you in securing your intellectual property rights. In order to identify and minimize risks in conjunction with intellectual property rights for you in good time, we use modern tools and databases that go far beyond standard research. For this purpose, we have a full-time research department with three employees. Based on our research, we can provide you with specific recommendations that will help you to effectively expand your IP strategy.

Patent and trademark monitoring: Well informed and ideally prepared: We’ll keep an eye on the market and the intellectual property rights landscape for you. CFProfile is our personal database that we offer for targeted patent monitoring (www.cfprofile.de). Information on newly published patent applications, patents, and utility models is compiled here and monitored on a regular basis. This allows us to quickly inform you if there are changes in the intellectual property landscape that might affect you. We also provide comprehensive support in trademark monitoring to detect conflicting trademarks and avoid confusion with existing brands. For this we rely on effective tools and search engines. If action is required, we quickly initiate the appropriate measures in close cooperation with you.

Employee inventions: Do you have innovative employees? We’ll show you how to make sensible use of their ideas. We’ll support you in developing a system for managing employee inventions. Together, we’ll develop processes with which you can use and secure the valuable ideas of your employees. We’ll also advise you on implementing potential strategies based on remuneration and other company incentives in order to motivate your employees and encourage them to continue being inventive.

Legal counselling: Whether competition, copyright or IT law, our counselling covers all areas of intellectual property rights protection that are relevant for your company. We’ll advise and represent you in all aspects of competition law, for example, when it comes to asserting claims or assessing the legality of advertising measures. We also provide comprehensive counselling services on IT law matters and copyright issues. In addition, we’ll be happy to support you in the drafting, revision, and negotiation of contracts (especially cooperation and license agreements) and represent your interests in court. We are very familiar with arbitration and are able to act both as party representatives and as arbitrators before German and European institutions. We’ll explore the possibilities of alternative dispute resolution and accompany you through all negotiations, for example, through mediation, arbitration reports, or dispute review boards.

IP strategies: We always take a holistic approach and will support you in successfully positioning yourself and your intellectual property rights in the market as an innovative company. We’ll support you in developing an IP strategy: We’ll analytically derive the potential and possible scope of protection of your innovations already in the initial phases of development. We‘ll do this, for example, in the context of a status quo analysis and by asking the following questions: How is your company positioned? Who are your competitors? And which one of them might possibly hinder the protection of your own products? With the appropriate measures, we can ensure that your innovations remain protected and your market exclusivity secured.

Our technical expertise

Mechanical Engineering: We feel truly at home in mechanical engineering. We have been advising our clients in this area since the firm’s founding – combining a long tradition with deeply rooted expertise. Leading industrial companies have always played a large role in our diverse clientele. These include world market and industry leaders in, for example, process and manufacturing technology, materials processing, automotive engineering, plastics technology, construction, metallurgy, mechatronics, and medical technology. Having such long-standing clients with continuously growing know-how and product portfolios, allows us further strengthen our own expertise and thus our consulting services in the respective technological fields. This concerns, for example, our knowledge of the Internet of Things and other current topics in mechanical engineering. In recent years, we have additionally positioned ourselves even more strongly in processing industries, such as the automotive and automotive supplier industries, as well as in the area of foundry technology.

Electrical engineering: Whether classical electrical engineering or information and communication technology – we have the know-how to ensure that our clients‘ intellectual property is protected. Software is today an integral part of almost all areas of our everyday life – whether in smartphones or cars, at the doctor‘s, or in the office. The good news for manufacturers in almost all industries is that many of these software-related inventions can be effectively protected by intellectual property rights. We support our clients in this – and in all other matters relating to Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things. But we also attend to technical and sometimes highly complex intellectual property rights in other fields of electrical engineering – for example in the fields of electrical energy technology and renewable energies, semiconductor technology and components, circuit technology, control and regulation technology, microsystems technology, and sensor technology.

Chemicals, pharmaceuticals & life sciences: We’ve got the right chemistry. Since the 1990s, we have been serving companies in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and life sciences sectors. When it comes to issues in the areas of pharmaceuticals, inorganic or organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, biochemistry, and biotechnology, we really know what we‘re talking about. For the sometimes large and often transnational procedures in these areas, we put together competent patent attorney teams: all highly qualified experts in their respective fields, who also have a great deal of experience in litigation. With such concentrated competence, we are the right partner for our clients – for example in complex opposition proceedings before the European Patent Office as well as in nullity and infringement proceedings at a national and international level.

Department Name Email Telephone
COHAUSZ & FLORACK mail@cohausz-florack.de +49 (0)211-90490-0
Patent Attorney Andreas Thielmann
Patent Attorney Gottfried Schüll
Patent Attorney Dr. Thomas Rox
Attorney-at-law Ulrike Alice Ulrich
Patent Attorney Dr. (USA) Arwed Burrichter
Patent Attorney Hans-Joachim Meyer
Patent Attorney Mathias Karlhuber
Patent Attorney Philipe Walter
Patent Attorney Arnd Ziebell
Patent Attorney Dr. Christoph Walke
Attorney-at-law Rebekka Schiffer, LLM
Patent Attorney Dr. Jochen Kapfenberger
Patent Attorney Dr. Fabian Vogelbruch
Patent Attorney Dr. Henning Sternemann
Patent Attorney Hendrik Bücker
Patent Attorney Jan Ackermann
Patent Attorney Matthias Waters
Patent Attorney Dr. Natalie Kirchhofer
Patent Attorney Michel Kaminsky
Patent Attorney Björn Brouwers
Attorney-at-law Dr. Reinhard Fischer
Patent Attorney Dr. Romina Kühnle
Patent Attorney Dr. Peter Reckenthäler
Patent Attorney Dr. Tobias Hoheisel
Patent Attorney Felipe von Heereman
Patent Attorney Svenja Schwandt
Patent Attorney Florian Dietzler
Patent Attorney Dr. Soizic Grote
Patent Attorney Dr. Martin Rütten
Patent Attorney Dr. Christoph Genreith
Patent Attorney Georg Tully
Attorney-at-law Tamara Moll
Patent Attorney Dr. Julia Konrad (née Sauerwald)
Patent Attorney Dr. Margarete Rittstieg
Attorney-at-law Eva-Marie Mümken
Photo Name Position Profile
Christoph Genreith photo Dr Christoph Genreith He completed his patent attorney training with COHAUSZ & FLORACK. He has…
Martin Rütten photo Dr Martin Rütten Since 2021, Martin Rütten has been advising national and international companies, in…
Patent Attorneys : 30
Attorney-at-law : 5
Additional staff : around 110
German
English
French
Spanish
Chinese
AIPLA
AIPPI (Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property)
Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation (Cepani)
Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft
ECTA (European Communities Trademark Association)
EPI
EPLIT
International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI)
German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR)
German-American Lawyer's Association (DAJV)
INTA - International Trademark Association
LES (Licensing Executives Society)
The Association of European Trademark Owners (MARQUES)
Vereinigung von Fachleuten des Gewerblichen Rechtsschutzes (VVP)