Once again, BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT secured excellent results in the ranking compiled by IAM Patent 1000. In the ‘Prosecution and Nullity’ category, BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT retained 1st place among the firms receiving a ‘very recommended’ result.  The firm is also recommended in the ‘Transactions’ category. The firm’s expansion of capacity in ‘Infringement’ was also mentioned with praise.

Patent lawyers Prof. Dr. Heinz Goddar (spearheads the list of “luminaries”), Christian W. Appelt (‘Transactions’ and ‚Prosecution and Nullity‘) und Dr. Markus Engelhard (‘Prosecution and Nullity’) and solicitor Dr. Michael Rüberg (‘Infringement’) were also – this year again – mentioned as recommended “individuals”.

The law firm sets standards in all areas – the jury stated: “It’s one of the best firms in Germany. Everyone there knows what they are doing and is detail-oriented; clients are kept fully informed on the progress of their matters each step of the way – something that gains their confidence (…) Its commercially savvy lawyers listen carefully, weigh up the options open to them and then adroitly draft applications that check all the boxes that examiners are looking for.”

The complete ranking can be found here.

BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT has been distinguished by the US publication ‘Best Lawyers’ as ‘Law Firm of the year’ in the field of ‘Intellectual Property Law in Germany 2019’.

A total of eleven lawyers were also given individual mention in the 10th edition of ‘Best Lawyers’. Dr. Rudolf Böckenholt – IP expert at BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT’s Bremen office and a recent addition to the “Best Lawyers” – states: “We are very pleased by this award. Our highest professional competence and strong commitment for our clients have been recognised by this award.”

The experts at the offices in Berlin, Bremen and Munich are:

Dr. Ute Kilger, Berlin, Practice Areas: Biotechnology Law and Life Sciences Practice

Dr. Martin Schaefer, Berlin, Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Law

Dr. Rudolf Böckenholt, Bremen, Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Law

Dr. Ludwig Kouker, Bremen, Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Law

Malte Nentwig, Bremen, Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Law

Christian W. Appelt, Munich, Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Law, Specific Focus: Patent

Dr. Markus Engelhard, Munich, Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Law

Prof. Dr. Heinz Goddar, Munich, Practice Areas: Intellectual Property Law, Specific Focus: Patent

The ratings for law firms and lawyers are based on the assessment of colleagues from other firms in peer to peer review. ‘Best Lawyers’ is therefore considered one of the most respectable legal rankings.

The list of ‘Best Lawyers’ can be found here.

Patent lawyer Nils T.F. Schmid was able to successfully represent Sprick GmbH before the Federal Patent Court: In invalidity proceedings, it was confirmed that the procedure used by Ranpak in the processing of packaging source material with special perforation of the paper track is not eligible for patent protection.
 

Three years ago Ranpak issued warning to Sprick GmbH. Nils T.F. Schmid (BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT) and Dr Sabine Rojahn (TaylorWessing) were unable to decide on the infringement dispute on behalf of their clients. Düsseldorf Regional Court affirmed patent infringement.
 

In invalidity proceedings which ran in parallel, the Court affirmed the invalidity of the patent. The particular type of perforated source paper material as well as the cushioning conversion machine which is to be loaded with it is not eligible for patent protection.
 

Sprick GmbH is happy by this win: “As manufacturer of paper and cardboard based on 100% recycled paper (Blue Angel certified), we develop and produce packaging systems and packaging machines and are ourselves providers of packaging materials. That the invalidity of the patent registered by our rival was determined strengthens our position and allows us to move forward in this field.”
 

This decision has far-reaching consequences for the entire industry, which benefits not least by sharp increases in e-commerce.
 

Representative for Sprick GmbH:

BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT (Munich) – Nils T.F. Schmid, Patentanwalt, European Patent and Trade Mark Attorney, Partner
TaylorWessing (Munich) – Dr Sabine Rojahn, Solicitor, Of Counsel

Representative for Ranpak Inc.: Bardehle Pagenberg

On 5 and 6 April 2018, the renowned Fordham IP Conference will take place in New York City.

Prof. Dr. Heinz Goddar will take part this year too and on the first day of the conference will speak on the panel on “European Patent Law”. Further participants from BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT are Dr. Ute Kilger and Dr. Markus Engelhard.

The annual conference began in 1993 in order to provide leading European and US civil servants, judges and IP professionals with a forum for exchange and discussion. Since then, it has grown steadily and in 2015 was attended by approx. 160 speakers as well as more than 500 participants from over 35 countries.

More details on the conference can be found here.