Australia

Australia is a split-profession jurisdiction. Solicitors listed tend to focus on the strategic planning and preparation of cases, with advocacy in court undertaken by barristers. There are also a handful of dual-qualified practitioners who cover all aspects of representation. A growing trend in the market is for Australian patent ... View full rankings

Austria

This compact market is home to a select band of representatives whom clients return to time and again because of their general excellence in patent litigation. View full rankings

Belgium

While Belgium is home to a number of pharmaceutical companies, it is not a major jurisdiction for patent litigation. And although Brussels is the site of an abundance of European regulatory activity, as in many smaller European litigation forums, patent litigation proceedings in Belgium tend to be run as follow-ups to rulings issued in ... View full rankings

Canada

Canada is an important forum for life sciences patent litigation, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry. The market is dominated by patented medicines notice of compliance (PMNOC) cases between generic and innovator companies. The large volume of life sciences cases has created a vibrant, highly competitive market of IP-focused ... View full rankings

China

While patent litigation work in Hong Kong is straightforward for foreign firms, they cannot offer courtroom representation on the mainland; this means that they must work closely with local counsel to conduct patent court proceedings. The limited number of patent litigation cases in the Special Administrative Region means that PRC ... View full rankings

Denmark

Despite its compact size, this market has played host to prolific pharmaceutical litigation in recent years, particularly as a result of Denmark's controversial regulations governing pharmaceutical product marketing and generic companies’ market applications. With regard to the latter, legislation has restricted the amount of information ... View full rankings

Finland

Most practitioners named in Finland represent clients in life sciences patent litigation as part of a broad patent and IP practice. However, action in the life sciences looks to be increasing and Finnish legislation offers less protection to innovators than they might expect in neighbouring jurisdictions. High-quality representation is ... View full rankings

France

Although France is home to a small number of highly renowned patent litigators, it remains an unpopular location to launch primary patent litigation proceedings due to procedural difficulties. International commentators agree that when patent litigation is undertaken in France, it is essential that clients secure the services of a ... View full rankings

Germany

Germany is a key forum for life sciences patent litigation in Europe, with a large number of valuable and significant cases litigated in Dusseldorf and Munich. International pharmaceutical companies turn to a relatively small elite of advisers and representatives in comparison to similarly mature jurisdictions, but enjoy an exceptionally ... View full rankings

India

With pharmaceutical product patents only recently introduced in India, this is a nascent market: few firms have an established patent litigation practice to match the widespread trademark expertise that exists in the country. Things are changing, though, as legislative reforms designed to make India TRIPs-compliant have lured ... View full rankings

Israel

The Israeli life sciences patent litigation market is dominated by Tal Band and Liad Whatstein of S Horowitz & Co and Dr Shlomo Cohen & Co respectively. Band and his team of assistants are kept busy representing Teva, the largest generic pharmaceuticals company in the world, which is headquartered in Israel. Whatstein is usually on ... View full rankings

Italy

Pharmaceutical and medical device cases are among the more common actions in Italy, with most cases based in Milan. The lion’s share of patent litigation is handled by small IP boutiques of longstanding reputation, often headed by university professors. However, the situation is changing as international players enter the market. View full rankings

Malaysia

Only a select few Malaysian firms have the necessary technical expertise for patent litigation. Of the life sciences cases heard, pharmaceutical and medical device matters are among the most prominent. View full rankings

Mexico

Patent litigation in Latin America continues to develop, with Mexico playing host to one of the more mature forums. Activity typically involves large foreign drug companies protecting their interests against generic product launches. Rather than seeking out larger full-service firms, many clients turn to IP specialist firms to ... View full rankings

Netherlands

The Netherlands remains one of the key forums for life sciences patent litigation on the international stage. Many observe that firms seem “largely unaffected” by the global credit crisis, and that any shortfall in the volume of cases is compensated for by the size and significance of matters that are being litigated. Indeed, many ... View full rankings

Norway

Applications for pharmaceutical product patents became permissible in Norway in 1992; as a result, the Norwegian life sciences patent litigation market is still relatively immature. However, there is a growing number of highly competent specialists in the area. Most activity surrounds battles between innovators and generic pharmaceutical ... View full rankings

Spain

Pharmaceutical patents remains a controversial issue in the Spanish market, due to previous case law prohibiting product patentability up until October 1992. In 2009 some landmark appeals finally reached the Supreme Court. The court's rulings will affect many patents and products; the industry is on tenterhooks waiting to discover what ... View full rankings

Sweden

Sweden is an active market for patent litigation, though commentators note a recent decline in the number of life sciences cases. Nevertheless, it is home to a number of well-respected practitioners in the field. Proceedings often take place in parallel with other countries, calling for cross-border cooperation with attorneys in other ... View full rankings

Switzerland

Although Switzerland is a major seat for dispute resolution and home to a number of important pharmaceutical companies, it is less popular a forum for life sciences patent litigation than neighbouring Germany. While the volume of work available is limited, there are a number of practitioners well qualified to deal with cases. View full rankings

Thailand

As in many Southeast Asian jurisdictions, the Thai IP market is dominated by trademark and patent prosecution matters. However, genetic and medical research in Thailand has contributed to a growing trend towards life sciences patent litigation over the last few years, giving the country an increasingly significant profile in the ... View full rankings

United Kingdom

Along with the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, the United Kingdom is a key centre for major pharmaceutical patent litigation. As the country is a focal point for patent disputes, strategies and rulings pioneered in the United Kingdom often form the basis of subsequent or parallel proceedings launched in other ... View full rankings

United States - Best of the best

While the United States is undoubtedly the largest and most important single market, its sheer size and the divergent conditions for litigating life sciences patent cases from state to state have generated a number of local markets instead of a single unified scene. However, a few names have risen to national prominence and would ... View full rankings

United States - California

With a strong high-tech industry, California is an active and important forum for life sciences patent litigation. Local firms Irell & Manella, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Keker & Van Nest, Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati maintain a firm grip on the market, though national and international US players ... View full rankings

United States - Illinois

The Illinois market is centred on Chicago, where a handful of experts at large, well-resourced national firms cream off the biggest and most important cases; representation below this level is provided by a group of high-quality litigators, often with broad IP and patent practices. View full rankings

United States - New York

New York City is home to the largest stable of life sciences patent litigation lawyers in the United States, with many of the individuals on the table specialising in pharmaceutical and biotechnology cases. While nearby states New Jersey and Delaware remain the favoured forums for patent litigation, cases are often led by lawyers based ... View full rankings

United States - Rest of U.S.

This table identifies the top practitioners in the United States based outside of California, Washington DC, Illinois and New York. Those with exceptional profiles and work over the last year are recognised in band one; to avoid drawing dubious comparisons between lawyers across disparate markets, the rest have all been ‘highly ... View full rankings

United States - Washington DC

As the home of both the US Patent and Trademark Office and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Washington DC is an important patent centre on the Eastern US seaboard. A number of high-quality practitioners conduct complex life sciences litigation out of the city, often as part of wider IP and patent practices. View full rankings