DLA Piper’s unfair competition practice specialises in advertising law, direct marketing compliance, trade secret protection and strategic unfair competition disputes. The team combines litigation, enforcement and advisory work with transactional IP guidance on technology licensing, joint ventures and R&D projects. Key sectors include technology, consumer goods, industrials, online retail, as well as media and entertainment. The practice is led by Stefan Engels, who brings particular expertise in advertising, copyright and media law, advising clients across both advisory and contentious mandates. Burkhard Führmeyer is an experienced litigator with a focus on developing IP strategies and providing guidance on trade secret protection.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Burkhard Führmeyer and Eike Bodo Matthes provide practical legal advice with a focus on achieving the business goals of the client.’
- ‘What we appreciated about working with DLA is their cross-department collaboration and ability to give clear, strategic advice across a wide range of legal areas—from tenancy and regulatory law to data protection and platform compliance. The approach is always solution-oriented. Instead of simply pointing out legal limitations, DLA provides nuanced risk evaluations and practical paths forward, taking into account commercial and business considerations.’
- ‘Lennart Elsaß is our main contact at DLA Piper and has proven to be a reliable and thoughtful advisor throughout our collaboration.'
Practice head
Stefan Engels
Other key lawyers
Burkhard Führmeyer; Eike Bodo Matthes; Lennart Elsaß