Dr. Christopher Maierhöfer

As partner and member of our Intellectual Property Practice Group, I advise an international range of clients, with a special focus on life sciences and telecommunications technology. Since joining our firm in 2011, I have constantly broadened my practice from patent litigation, which still makes up the major part of my work, to protection and enforcement of trade secrets and know-how and contractual IP work.

As an experienced patent litigator, I represent clients in national and cross-border patent infringement cases, nullity and opposition proceedings before the Federal Patent Court and the European Patent Office as well as in patent co-ownership proceedings. Together with my colleagues from our international offices, I also give strategic advice on how to develop the best pan-European patent enforcement or defence strategy, making use of the particularities and procedural options available in the different jurisdictions.

Another important part of my practice is the increasingly important field of trade secrets and know-how protection. I assist clients in all aspects of safeguarding their valuable know-how, ranging from developing internal know-how protection policies, through drafting and negotiating of relevant contracts with suppliers, customers and cooperation partners to conducting trade secret litigation.

Over the years, I have also developed great expertise in the field of transactional and contractual IP, with a particular focus on drafting and negotiating of patent and know-how licensing contracts, R&D agreements and agreement for remuneration of employee inventions.

Prior to joining our firm in 2011, I spent four years working as an IP attorney at an international law firm in Berlin with a focus on technology transfer and patent licensing transactions.

I am an active member of the Licensing Executive Society (LES) and the German Association for Intellectual Property and Copyright law (GRUR).

• Representing a market leading US-based medical devices company in a series of patent litigation and patent co-inventorship proceedings against various competitors in the area of transcatheter heart valves.
• Representing various US-based telecommunications companies in the enforcement of their patents against various television manufacturers and service providers in the area of programme guide and content delivery technologies.
• Assisting several US-based medical device manufacturers in connection with Freedom-to-Operate analyses.
• Representing a large tobacco company in a case of cross-border trade secrets misuse against one of its suppliers.
• Advising an Israeli medtech startup in connection with non-infringement and patent invalidity.
• Representing a manufacturer of electric traction hoists against internet offerings of counterfeit products.
• Representing an international textile design and printing company in the area of know-how protection and enforcement of claims for competition infringements.
• Advising a leading telecommunications provider regarding the reorganisation of its licence agreement templates and negotiation of licence and technology transfer agreements.
• Advising a US-based life sciences investor in relation to the acquisition of several German biotech and pharma companies (transactional IP advice and negotiation of license agreements).
• Assisting a German automotive and emobility supplier with respect to IP licensing agreements and know-how and trade secrets protection.