Dörries Frank-Molnia & Pohlman

Firm overview:

Founded in Munich in 2000, df-mp is known for patent and trademark prosecution and litigation matters in Germany and the EU. df-mp is a “preferred firm in Germany” of international referral counsel and seen as “an excellent firm with strong teams and excellent trademarks experience,” by peers. The firm has recently seen increasing amounts of contentious work – including trademark and unfair competition litigation, opposition and cancellation actions. Df-mp has sector strengths in pharmaceuticals/life sciences, food/beverages/supplements, electronics and industrial products as well as retail/hospitality and related capability in protection of geographical indications/certification marks and certification and authentication.

Df-mp’s trademarks practice has a balanced contentious and non-contentious focus with approximately 46% litigation and 54% prosecution. The firm has 433 active trademarks clients and has filed 500 national trademarks applications, compared to 19 international trademarks filings. The firm has 220 opposition, cancellation or other active administrative proceedings alongside 80 active trademarks litigation matters.

Team overview:

df-mp has over employees in total, including 40+ attorneys. The trademark team comprises partners Ortrun Günzel and Angela Wenninger-Lenz (enthusiastically recommended by referral lawyers) and three recent arrivals including “the excellent” senior counsel Julia Bittner, as well as 8 paralegals and administrators.

Speaking of Wenninger-Lenz and Bittner, a referral lawyer comments: “I have known and worked with them for many years. Their speed of response, commerciality and general approach are all superb. They are also wonderful people which counts for a lot.” The trademark practice has significantly developed over four years, new clients and new instructions, along with active recruitment.

Key matters:

• df-mp has been advising BioNTech, a Mainz-based biotechnology company, since 2012 and assists with the majority of the client’s trademarks work. Recently df-mp advised on clearance and worldwide filing for the COMINARTY mark and global extension of the BIONTECH house mark to 200 jurisdictions across nine classes.
• The firm is active in urgent trademark clearance matters for new projects, design and copyright protection for BioNTech. Df-mp is coordinating global clearance for two new products (20 name candidates in 50+ jurisdictions) and is preparing filings in 200+ jurisdictions. Key lawyers: Partners Ortrun Günzel, Angela Wenninger-Lenz, Senior Counsel Julia Bittner and Attorney at Law Sebastian Horlacher.
• Partner Angela Wenninger-Lenz leads on advising Swedish multinational household goods retailer IKEA on various successful actions, including obtaining a preliminary injunction against a Chinese company using a similar name at a trade fair in Germany. Df-mp also assists IKEA in enforcing trademark, copyright and unfair competition claims against a number of branches of a German fast-food chain and enforcement against a trademark and domain name for WICKEA.

Clients:

Alois Dallmayr, AXENT SWITZERLAND AG, Bencard Allergie / Allergy Therapeutics, BioNTech SE, BURTON Sportartikel GmbH, DIY Element Symstem, Easy Tutor GmbH, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Hallufix AG, Inter IKEA Systems BV, Manuka Charitable Trust, NaturaFit GmbH, Panasonic Holdings Corporation, Pari Pharma GmbH, ROBUR, THONET GmbH, TÜV SÜD Product Service GmbH, iatris (Meda Pharma / Mylan)