Litigation Matters 2025

Rian Kalden
Rian Kalden graduated from Leiden University and finished a master's at London University, which included intellectual and industrial property law studies at LSE. She began her career at the Amsterdam Bar with the law firm Stibbe, where she practised first in the intellectual property department and then in company law.

Rian has served as a judge in the Patent Chamber of the District Court of The Hague and as head of its Intellectual Property Division, as vice president of the District Court of Haarlem and as a judge at The Hague’s Court of Appeal, heading the IP Division and working on patent litigation. In 2023 she resigned from her appointment at the Benelux Court of Justice in view of her appointment as a legally qualified judge at the Court of Appeal of the UPC, where she is presiding judge of the second panel and a member of the UPC Presidium. She is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences on patent law.

Heli Pihlajamaa
In her role at the EPO as Principal Director Patent Law and Procedures, Heli Pihlajamaa is responsible for all patent law and procedures-related matters under the EPC and PCT, including operational developments, the simplification and digitalisation of procedures, and policy aspects related to patentability. Her principal directorate also deals with Unitary Patent-related tasks assigned to the EPO. Heli studied law at Helsinki University and at the Max Planck Institute in Munich. She has written various books and articles on patent law.

Alexander Ramsay 
As deputy director at the Swedish Ministry of Justice, Alexander Ramsay was involved in the negotiations regarding the enhancement of the European patent system between 2008 and 2013. In 2013, he was elected vice-chairman of the Preparatory Committee of the UPC and in 2015 he was elected chairman of the Committee, a position he held until February 2022 when he was elected as the first chairman of the Administrative Committee of the UPC. He left the Ministry of Justice in 2016 and, in parallel with his commitment to the UPC Committees, served as a judge at the Swedish Patent and Market Court until January 2023 when he was appointed the first Registrar of the UPC.

Ingo Beckedorf
Ingo Beckedorf is chair of the Legal Board of Appeal, deputy of the President of the Boards of Appeal, deputy chair of the Enlarged Board of Appeal and of the Disciplinary Board of Appeal, head of Legal Services of the Boards of Appeal, and former chair of the Technical Board of Appeal: Mechanics.

He is a former German judge at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court (Court of Appeal), legal counsel to the Court’s president and to the Constitutional Court Hamburg, as well as a former attaché de presse and deputy head of the European Parliament Office in Germany.

He is a lecturer and author of numerous books and articles on EU law, competition law and patent law.

Ingeborg Simonsson
Ingeborg Simonsson has worked extensively with intellectual property and competition law, first as a legal practitioner, then as an academic and judge. She graduated from Stockholm University, where she specialised in intellectual property law and holds an LLM degree in European business law from the University of Nijmegen.

Before becoming a judge in the Swedish courts in 2008, she did full time research and teaching at Stockholm University, where she received her PhD in European law. In 2020 she was appointed judge in the Svea Court of Appeal and the Patent and Market Court of Appeal. Ingeborg has been active with several European projects over the years, focussing primarily on knowledge exchange and training for judges. 

Ángel Galgo Peco
Judge Ángel Galgo Peco has served as a member of the judiciary since 1989. Since 2008, he has held the office of President of the Chamber within the Court of Appeal of Madrid, which specialises in intellectual property and competition law matters.

He worked for the Council of Europe in 2003 and for the European Union from 2004 to 2008.

From 2018 to 2024, he served as a legally qualified member of the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the EPO. In 2023, he joined the WIPO Advisory Board of Judges. He frequently serves as a European Union expert on the IP Key Project (China, Latin America and South East Asia) and as a WIPO expert on judicial education programmes on IP.

Richard Arnold
Sir Richard Arnold studied chemistry at the University of Oxford before being called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1985. He specialised in intellectual property law and became a QC in 2000. He was chairman of the Code of Practice for the Promotion of Animal Medicines Committee from 2002 to 2008, an appointed person hearing trademark appeals from 2003 to 2008 and a Deputy High Court judge from 2004 to 2008. He was a judge of the High Court, Chancery Division from 2008 to 2019 and judge in charge of the Patents Court from 2013 to 2019. He has been a judge of the Court of Appeal since 2019 and an external member of the EPO's Enlarged Board of Appeal since 2016. He is also a visiting professor at three London universities and a published author and editor, with his writing appearing in various legal journals and books.

Michael Fröhlich
Michael Fröhlich is a German lawyer with over twenty-five years of experience working in IP. At the EPO he leads a team responsible for developing policy solutions on the international and European legal framework for patents and related areas of law and practice, including the development of legal policy in relation to the Unitary Patent, new emerging technologies, patent law trends and the harmonisation of patent law and practices.

Prior to joining the EPO, Michael was senior director of European IP and strategy at BlackBerry, senior legal counsel at Nokia and head of legal affairs at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute. He has served for many years as the Chairman of the AIPPI Committee on Patents & Standards, as well as the vice-chairman of the GSMA IPR Working Group and vice chairman of the LES Publication Committee.

Cordula Schumacher
Cordula Schumacher studied law with additional training in economics at the Universities of Bayreuth, Cologne and Hawaii Pacific University.She attended the Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University's diploma programme in European law and obtained her master's degree in intellectual property law at the University of Düsseldorf.She began her career as an attorney at law and has worked as a principal associate, intellectual property lawyer and most recently as a partner at ARNOLD RUESS.

Klaus Haft
As a German qualified attorney (“Rechtsanwalt”) and physicist (master’s degree), Klaus is a trial lawyer in the field of intellectual property law with a particular emphasis on patent litigation. In addition, he is advising on license agreements, research and development agreements, the law on employee inventions and issues relating to the protection of trade secrets. Based on his physics background and a corresponding in-depth understanding of complex technology he is holding a particular track record in litigating high-tech patents and patents on medical devices. He acts for his clients before the national German courts, collaborates on opposition proceedings, and plans and coordinates multi-national litigation cases.  Klaus has been a member of the Board of the EPLAW for seven years, the last two years as its President and currently serves as a member of the advisory board. In addition, he is President Elect of the Licensing Executives Society (LES) Germany and member of the Executive Board of the Munich IP Dispute Resolution Forum.

Steve Faraji
Steve Faraji is head of Litigation, Licenses, Brand protection at Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg. He is a qualified German and European patent attorney, specialising in standard essential patents and computer-implemented inventions. Prior to joining Volkswagen, Steve working on the prosecution and litigation of ICT patents for a major patent law firm in Munich and served as Head of Patents Vehicle/Production and Chief IPR Policy Manager at AUDI AG in Neckarsulm, Germany.

Robert Earle
Robert Earle is Ericsson's vice president of Assertion and Enforcement and is responsible for strategically managing their global patent enforcement activities and supporting their F/RAND licensing policies and practices. Previously, he was a principal in the Dallas office of Fish & Richardson, where he represented national and international clients in high-stakes patent litigation lawsuits. His specialties include patent analysis, claim analysis, patent litigation, patentability, copyright law, trade secrets, trademark infringement and claim investigation.

He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and has a master’s degree in electrical engineering. Prior to attending law school, Robert served nine years as an officer in the United States Navy.

Justus Baron
Justus Baron is a senior research associate at the Searle Center on Law, Regulation, and Economic Growth at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. His area of expertise is the empirical economic analysis of technological innovation and markets for technologies. Justus’s main research interests are technology standards, patents and licensing schemes. He holds a PhD in economics from Mines ParisTech and a master's degree in economic governance from Sciences Po Paris. His work has been published or is under revision in peer reviewed academic journals, and he has presented research findings at various academic conferences. Justus also has experience with policy-oriented data analysis for institutions such as the European Commission and has taught economics in undergraduate and graduate programmes.

Rory Clarke
Rory Clarke is a partner in Kirkland’s Intellectual Property Litigation Team in London. He has extensive experience litigating technologies such as mobile telephones and infrastructure, other radio systems, internet connectivity, robotics and microprocessors. He also advises clients on SEP and FRAND policy more widely, including in relation to legislative developments such as the proposed EU SEP Regulation.

He acts on cases at first instance and on appeal. He is frequently involved in the wider strategic aspects of intellectual property litigation. He has significant experience acting as coordinating counsel for multijurisdictional matters, assisting clients to develop and implement their patent litigation strategies, leading settlement/licensing negotiations and advising on matters concerning confidentiality.

Alex Wilson
Alex Wilson is one of the founding partners of Powell Gilbert, a specialist European IP firm with offices in London, Düsseldorf and Dublin. After gaining a BSc in Biochemistry from University College London, he entered the field of patents as a patent Examiner at the EPO. He then qualified as lawyer and has been practising as a specialist patent litigator for more than two decades. He is a UPC Representative, UK Solicitor Advocate Irish, and New South Wales Solicitor. He has represented clients in a range of divisions of the UPC as well as the English and Australian courts and has a particular focus on guiding and supporting clients in international patent litigation strategies. Alex has a particular interest in ADR, he has been a certified CEDR mediator since 2021 and acts regularly in patent arbitrations. He is joint editor of an international commentary Unified Patent Court Procedure (2025) published by Beck/Hart, is a board member of EPLAW and leads its ADR Committee.

Peter Thomsen
Before becoming epi President in 2023, Peter was Chair of the epi Litigation Committee and epi Treasurer. As delegate he represents epi as observer at the UPC Administrative Committee. Peter is a European and a Swiss Patent Attorney, and he has been working in the Intellectual Property Function in the Healthcare Industry from 2001 to 2024 where he became involved in a considerable number of questions around regulatory exclusivities and Patent Term Extensions, including SPC Cases up to the level of CJEU. Since 2012 he has been focusing on IP-policy work. He studied biotechnological sciences at the Technical University Braunschweig (Germany), acquired Diploma in European Patent Litigation by CEIPI and holds the EQE. He regularly gives lectures and is a co-author of several books in the patent field.

Willem Hoyng
Willem is the Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the UPC. He was a member of the drafting committee of the Rules of Proceedings of the UPC and advises the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs on UPC matters. Willem is also a professor of Intellectual Property Law at the University of Tilburg. Willem is one of the founding members of HOYNG ROKH MONEGIER, he was the managing partner of HOYNG MONEGIER from 2011 until 2015, when the firm merged with German IP boutique ROKH IP and stepped down as a managing partner of HOYNG ROKH MONEGIER in January 2018. Willem’s practice primarily consists of litigating in the field of intellectual property law. Willem acts before all the national courts (the courts of first instance, the courts of appeal and the Supreme Court). Willem is also involved in advising on European patent strategies and coordinating and conducting European patent proceedings. He is the adviser of many innovative Dutch and foreign multinationals, including pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies.

Paul Torremans
Professor Torremans taught at the Universities of Leicester and Leeds, before joining the University of Nottingham in September 2002. He also served as a Sub-Dean for Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Law of the University of Leicester. His areas of expertise are Intellectual Property Law and Private International Law. In relation to the latter area Professor Torremans was also a member of the Department of Private International Law of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ghent, Belgium until 30th September 2008. Professor Torremans is a member of the Association Littéraire et Artistique International (ALAI) and of its British branch BLACA, where he sits on the Executive Committee. He is also a member of the Association for the Enhancement of Teaching and Research in Intellectual Property - ATRIP. Professor Torremans has acted as an expert for the WIPO, the European Commission and other international organisations. He is also a member of CLIP, an international group of experts developing a set of principles on the interaction between intellectual property and private international law.

Mark van Gardingen
Mark van Gardingen is a partner and co-founder of Brinkhof law firm. He specialises in litigation and providing strategic advice on European patent disputes. Mark’s science grammar school education, combined with his master’s in patent and IP law from Utrecht University, enables him to quickly understand technologies and translate them into legal opportunities, be it in the field of electronics, chemistry, biochemistry, mechanical engineering or any other area.

Guno Tjon
Guno Tjon obtained his PhD in neuropharmacology in Amsterdam. As an Agreement and Patent Director at Unilever he has supported a range of product categories and has successfully enforced patents in various countries. He is a member of the SBO Board, the body responsible for the Dutch patent attorney qualifying examination, and also tutors exam candidates. In addition, he is an EPLIT Board member and has tutored and spoken publicly on UPC matters.

Tilman Pfrang
Tilman Pfrang studied physics at the Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg and the Université Joseph-Fourierv of Grenoble and law at the FernUniversität in Hagen. He has worked as a scientific assistant at the Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research and the Fraunhofer-Institut für Silicatforschung. He specialises in applied physics, solid state physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, micro-technology, nanotechnology and coating technology

Timan is vice-chair of epi's Litigation Committee and is a member of the German Patent Attorneys Bar Association, FICPI and EPLIT.

Ben Chapman
Ben Chapman is a European patent attorney, chartered patent attorney and UPC representative. He works in Carpmaels and Ransford's engineering and tech group, with clients ranging from startups to multinationals across a variety of technical areas. With a master's in physics and Master of Research in optics and photonics from Imperial College, followed by a PhD in photonics and laser development, his professional experience spansvarious technical fields, including medical devices, remote sensing and display technology.

Ben has appeared numerous times before EPO's opposition divisions and Technical Boards of Appeal, with success both in defending his clients’ patents as well as securing revocation decisions. He has also been involved in the litigation of multiple patent infringement cases at the UK High Court and has provided support for larger teams handling pan-European litigation matters.

Christian Köster
Christian Köster is a European patent attorney and UPC litigator at Synergy IP who began his career in intellectual property after studying chemistry at the Universities of Münster, Edinburgh and Berkeley. Christian also holds a LLM and a Diplôme d’Université from University of Strasbourg, both in European patent litigation.

With more than 20 years of experience and a strong track record in contentious matters, including numerous EP opposition and appeal proceedings as well as several infringement and nullity court actions, he is active in the European Patent Litigators Association and has served two terms as a board member. He works with clients from various technological areas in the drafting, prosecution and enforcement of patents, as well as on infringement, invalidity and freedom-to-operate opinions. The patenting of green technologies has been a strong focus in his work for many years, and he also frequently works on technical topics such as polymers, medical devices and computer-implemented inventions.

Lionel Martin
Lionel Martin is a lawyer, European patent attorney and UPC representative. He is a partner in the Patents team at August Debouzy, handling litigation and opposition proceedings as well as patent drafting and prosecution in both French and English. Typically working with large international corporations, his scientific training has led him to work on cases in the fields of telecommunications (FRAND licensing-induced litigation), energy, medical devices and automobiles.

Additionally, he delivers academic trainings at engineering schools such as Ponts ParisTech and CentraleSupélec, law schools including Paris-Saclay University (Master 2 LEAD) and Strasbourg University (CEIPI), and universities abroad, such as the University of Michigan. 

Lina Patel
Lina Patel is an experienced legal and administrative professional with a career spanning both public and private sectors across the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States.  Lina brings her expertise in legal operations, change management, and strategic leadership to the EPO Academy's Patent Grant Process and Litigation Programmes area, where she works primarily with judges. Her contributions include supporting internal quality, fostering partnerships and projects with Gartner and representing the EPO internationally as a speaker on planning related best management practices.

As Change Manager for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Nokia Finland, she was responsible for authorising and implementing organisational change initiatives across diverse markets. She also worked at the BBC World Service and Television Centre in London, where she worked managing auditing and compliance with KPMG.

After studying law in the United Kingdom, Lina began her career in criminal prosecution with the Crown Prosecution Service and also worked in civil litigation at Leicestershire County Court. Her legal acumen and leadership potential led her to the UK Patent Office, where she held senior roles both in The Hague and Munich and served head of department and deputy director.

Aleš Zalar 
Aleš Zalar is director of the UPC Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre and has served as judge and president of the District Court of Ljubljana, as well as president of the Slovenian Judges Association. He served as Slovenia's Minister of Justice from 2008 to 2012, and for six months also held the position of Acting Minister of Home Affairs.

Thierry Calame
Partner at Lenz & Staehelin, Co-Head of Intellectual Property Dr. Thierry Calame, Attorney at Law, Dipl. Nat.sc ETH, is a partner at the law firm Lenz & Staehelin, based in Zurich. He is an expert in intellectual property matters with a particular emphasis on patent law. Thierry has vast experience as counsel in patent, trademark, unfair competition, and copyright litigation, as well as IP-related arbitration. He regularly sits as an arbitrator in IP-related arbitration. Thierry also advises on licensing, the intellectual property aspects of a wide range of other transactions and pharmaceutical law, including regulatory and advertising issues. He has a master’s degree in both chemistry and law and is a permanent lecturer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property. Thierry has published on a wide range of intellectual property topics. He is also past president of the European Patent Lawyers Association (EPLAW). From 2010 to 2014, he acted as Reporter General of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI).

Over the past 12 years, he has been the president of the European Centre for Dispute Resolution, working as a mediator, arbitrator and consultant in international rule of law reforms. Aleš has received various awards in recognition of his contributions to the development of mediation. 

Sergio Arrojo
Sergio Arrojo has served as a technically qualified member of the Boards of Appeal for seven years, specialising in fields related to chemistry and chemical engineering. He began his career at the EPO as an examiner working across a range of technical fields. During this time, he successfully completed the European Qualifying Examination (EQE) and was subsequently appointed to the EQE committee, where he contributed to the drafting of Paper D.

After completing his degree in chemical engineering at the Technical University of Zaragoza, he obtained a PhD in process engineering and went on to work as a researcher at CIEMAT in Madrid. Later he earned a BA with honours in politics, philosophy and economics from the Open University.

Mojca Mlakar
Mojca Mlakar is a higher court judge at the Administrative Court of the Republic of Slovenia and sits at the Department of Property Relations, Environment and Spatial Planning, Second Tribunal. Her speciality in intellectual property and competition law is supported by her extensive experience as a judicial expert in commercial and company law, as a senior judicial advisor for the Supreme Court of the Republic of Slovenia and by her time as a county and later district court judge. She also served as president of the Copyright Board for three years. 

Anna-Lena Klein
Anna-Lena Klein is a legally qualified judge at the Milan section of the central division of the UPC and is presiding judge at the Regional Court Munich I. She has served as a judge at the Regional Court Munich I since 2014, where as a member of its 7th division and 21st division she primarily dealt with patent infringement cases. Now a presiding judge of the 33rd division, she mainly works with trademarks and unfair competition cases.

Prior to these appointments, she served as a judge at a local district court in Bavaria, as a public prosecutor in Munich and she completed a secondment to the Bavarian State Chancellery. She has also been a mediator since 2020, primarily in the field of IP law.

Kai Härmand
Kai Härmand has served as a judge at Harju County Court, Deputy Secretary General at the Ministry of Justice, legal adviser and judge trainee at Tallinn City Court, and legal adviser at the Estonian Patent Office

She is a legally qualified UPC judge and member of the EPO's Enlarged Board of Appeal. She has also been a member of the Advisory Board for the Z-Inspection research team at Frankfurt Big Data Lab and Goethe University Frankfurt, a member of the European Committee on Legal Co-operation, a member of the board and the arbiter at The Court of Arbitration of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a member of the Editorial Board of Juridica International and Juridica; and member of the Programme Committee of Tartu University's law department.