Interview with: Dr. Benedikt Neuburger, Managing Partner

Dr. Benedikt Neuburger, who became Managing Partner of Zimmermann & Partner Patentanwälte mbB in 2025, discusses the firm’s strategic direction, its approach to complex patent matters, and the evolving European patent landscape.

 

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Zimmermann & Partner Patentanwälte mbB from your competitors?

Zimmermann & Partner Patentanwälte mbB distinguishes itself through a combination of deep technical expertise, a strategic approach to patent prosecution, and extensive experience in patent disputes, in particular in complex patent litigation.

Depending on the case at hand, we specifically select the most suitable attorneys who will then work together in teams of equals, irrespective of each team member’s position within the firm. We encourage the open exchange of thoughts and ideas, and we request everyone to come up with controversial opinions. When preparing for oral proceedings, we place particular emphasis on rigorous internal debate and the testing of opposing arguments. The level of scrutiny in these discussions often exceeds what we face in the courtroom.

Further, our attorneys work closely with inventors and in-house IP teams to understand the underlying technology and the commercial objectives behind an invention. This enables us to draft and prosecute patent applications that provide meaningful protection and support the client’s broader innovation strategy.

Our firm’s significant experience in patent disputes provides valuable insight into how patents are interpreted and challenged in contentious proceedings, which in turn informs the way we approach patent drafting and prosecution. We are proud to be handling a substantial number of high-value UPC litigation cases, giving us extensive first-hand experience. These insights are directly leveraged by our prosecution team in patent drafting and examination.

A further distinguishing factor is our long-standing work with international clients and our experience coordinating patent protection across multiple jurisdictions. By combining technical expertise, strategic prosecution and litigation insight, Zimmermann & Partner Patentanwälte mbB is able to provide advice that supports clients throughout the full lifecycle of their intellectual property.

Together, these elements allow Zimmermann & Partner Patentanwälte mbB to provide advice that goes beyond the formal aspects of patent prosecution and contributes directly to the long-term value of our clients’ intellectual property. We believe in our power and strength as team of highly qualified attorneys and admins who, together, are able to resolve the most demanding situations and cases.

 

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

 Patent prosecution and portfolio strategy remain central areas of activity, particularly as companies continue to invest heavily in research and development across a range of technology sectors. On the other hand, we can recognize that the steady quality and success of our litigation team does not go unnoticed in the market, and we are increasingly asked for support in large cross-boarder litigation law suits. Zimmermann & Partner Patentanwälte mbB will therefore continue to grow with a healthy pace that guarantees our excellence in what we do. In particular, we will continue to decline additional work where we believe it could compromise the quality of our services or the trust of our existing clients.

The introduction of the Unified Patent Court and the Unitary Patent has had as had a significant impact on prosecution work. Clients are increasingly aware that the way patents are drafted and prosecuted today can have significant consequences if those patents are later enforced before the UPC.

As a result, we see growing demand for advice that integrates prosecution strategy with a broader view of potential enforcement scenarios. This includes careful claim drafting and portfolio structuring to ensure that key inventions are protected in a way that provides flexibility in the future. With our unique experience in national litigation cases and UPC cases, we are ideally positioned to support our clients in all IP related matters.

 

What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

 Having taken on the role of Managing Partner of Zimmermann & Partner Patentanwälte mbB in December 2025, my focus so far has been on gaining a broad overview of the firm’s internal processes and identifying areas where we can further improve efficiency and collaboration.

Patent work today involves large volumes of technical information and increasingly complex portfolios, so clear communication and effective knowledge sharing within teams are essential. One of my priorities is therefore to continue strengthening internal coordination so that our attorneys can draw more effectively on the firm’s collective expertise when advising clients.

Looking ahead, I am particularly interested in how new technologies, including developments in artificial intelligence, may support certain aspects of patent practice, for example in prior art analysis or internal knowledge management. While these tools will not replace the technical and strategic expertise of patent attorneys, they may offer opportunities to further streamline processes and enhance the services we provide to our clients.

 

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Digital communication tools have made collaboration with clients and inventors significantly easier, particularly when working with international teams. We offer a full support of our clients’ admin needs, including the full docketing at the clients’ side. We are constantly improving our tools to offer interfaces and the possibility of automatic data exchange. Technical discussions that previously required extensive travel can now often take place quickly and efficiently via video meetings.

At the same time, the core of patent prosecution remains the careful analysis of technical inventions and the development of clear and robust patent claims. From our cross-border litigation proceedings and also international patent prosecution we additionally understand that the patent description can tip the scale. While digital tools may support certain aspects of the process, our firm fundamentally believes the essential work of understanding complex technologies and translating them into effective patent protection continues to rely on human expertise.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly discussed in this context. We understand the importance of being part of the AI journey and have a dedicated AI team that is constantly testing AI tool developments available on the market. We do so with the goal to further enhance our quality of work for our clients’ benefit. However, while AI may increasingly support certain research or drafting-related tasks in the future, the strategic aspects of patent prosecution will continue to require experienced patent attorneys.

 

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

 As we handle the full scope of patent prosecution for a number of our larger clients, we develop a depth of familiarity with their portfolios that often exceeds that of internal patent departments. his is particularly the case where, alongside in-house counsel, we work closely with inventors, technical experts and commercial teams across drafting, prosecution, opposition and litigation.

For one international client operating in a highly profitable yet competitive market, this depth of expertise led them to entrust us with monitoring both their patent portfolio and relevant market developments. We report our findings in biweekly meetings with in-house counsel, as well as technical and commercial teams, to assess whether further action is required. As one in-house contact remarked: “We have no idea how you manage to have deeper knowledge of our products and IP than we have – it is scary and awesome at the same time!”

 

Clients are looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

In complex patent matters, clients place great value on reliability and long-term cooperation with the teams supporting their intellectual property work. A deep understanding of both the technology and the client’s business environment is essential in this context.

At Zimmermann & Partner Patentanwälte mbB, we have always and will continue to offer high quality work. Most of our client relationships have developed over several decades and most of our new clients choose us because of recommendations from existing clients. Clients rely on our team of experienced patent attorneys, technical experts and highly trained admins to provide consistent guidance as their technologies evolve and their patent portfolios grow. We allow our firm to grow only with a pace that guarantees this approach.

As Managing Partner, my focus is on ensuring that the firm continues to build on these strengths by maintaining our high technical standards and fostering close collaboration within our team. I am convinced that it is the variety and diversity of opinions that make discussions valuable and allow us to reach the best possible outcome. We believe that a collaborative, open-minded and non-hierarchical workplace culture enables our team to deliver its best work. Equally important is a modern and efficient technical environment, which allows each of us the time to focus on delivering our best work.

In the next three years, Zimmermann & Partner Patentanwälte mbB will continue strengthening its role in strategic patent prosecution and complex patent disputes, while continuing to support clients as the European patent landscape evolves. Our focus will remain on delivering consistently high-quality advice and building long-term client relationships.