Leading European IP firm, Potter Clarkson have formed a strategic partnership with Swedish patent litigators, Westerberg & Partners, to provide dedicated litigation support under the new Unified Patent Court (UPC) regime.
Together, Potter Clarkson and Westerberg & Partners will assemble specialist joint teams to run cases in the UPC, combining the significant experience of both firms’ litigators, and the top-tier technical and legal advice of European Patent Attorneys who will bring their specialist sector focus to each case.
Due to commence operation within months, the UPC represents the biggest change to the patent landscape in Europe in a generation. It introduces a new ‘Unitary Patent’, which will have effect across all participating EU Member States, with all European patentees required to decide whether to opt their existing European patents ‘in’ or ‘out’ of the new system for a transition period.
Commenting on the strategic partnership, Steve Smith, managing partner of Potter Clarkson said:
This is really exciting for us. Over the past ten years, we have developed from being a well-known and respected firm of patent and trade mark attorneys, to becoming both a pan-European business and a heavyweight in patent litigation. Working with Westerberg & Partners, who we know well and could not rate more highly, further boosts the quality of our offer, and makes us the best choice for matters in the new Unified Patent Court.”
Managing partner of Westerberg & Partners, Jonas Westerberg, stated:
We are extremely pleased to be chosen by Potter Clarkson in relation to patent litigation and the UPC. This is a new court, and clients need to be confident that the teams put together to support them with litigation, or patent strategy work, are the right teams with the right skills and experience. I have no doubt that our support to Potter Clarkson creates a market-leading solution for clients.”
The strategic partnership will be led by head of litigation at Potter Clarkson, Nick McDonald, and Westerberg partners, Ludvig Holm and Björn Rundblom Andersson, all of whom are highly experienced litigators.
Through the creation of joint teams, this strategic partnership will not only support clients on litigation matters, but importantly also in developing strategies before the UPC begins to operate.
Nick McDonald commented:
Very careful thought needs to be given to strategies developed for this new court. Simply ignoring it and opting out patents will not be the right solution in every case, and there are some real opportunities here for patentees to position their portfolios more effectively and gain advantage over their competitors. Together with Westerberg, we will be looking to help our clients find the right solutions before the UPC begins as well as after it does.”
Björn Rundblom Andersson added:
There is a lot for clients to think about with this new court. It’s a huge change. But I am excited to work on this project with our lawyers and those from Potter Clarkson. I have no doubt that clients will see the benefit.”
If you would like further advice or a free consultation on what to do in relation to the Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court, please click here and we will contact you to discuss further.
