Düsseldorf
Provides comprehensive advice to companies in patent litigation, including litigation involving standard-essential patents (SEPs) and FRAND defenses, and on license negotiations.
Has extensive experience handling proceedings before the European Unified Patent Court (UPC), having handled a large number of cases there.
Provides advice in other areas of intellectual property law, drawing on his many years of experience.
Hon.-Prof. Dr. Henrik Holzapfel advises on all aspects of intellectual property law. He focuses on litigating patents, including advice on patents essential to industry standards (SEPs) and FRAND defenses. He was among the first international attorneys to file lawsuits before the European Unified Patent Court in collaboration with his U.S. colleagues. Henrik counsels on cross-border and multinational litigation strategies, and he advises his clients on negotiating license and R&D agreements, as well as on indemnification issues in supply chains relating to IP infringement.
Henrik also has many years’ experience in the protection of know-how, as well as in employee invention and trademark law. He further advises his clients on the drafting, negotiation and enforcement of commercial agreements such as supply, license and R&D contracts.
His clients represent a wide variety of industries such as automotive, IT, pharmaceutical, biotech, medical devices, chemicals and engineering.
Henrik has authored multiple publications on intellectual property law and regularly lectures at Leuphana University Lüneburg. Henrik is also a regular contributor to McDermott’s IP Update blog.
Henrik advised:
- An American automotive supplier in patent infringement disputes in Europe and the U.S., licensing portfolios of standard-essential patents, and supply chain liability issues
- A Turkish consumer electronics manufacturer in defending against patent claims, the licensing of standard-essential patent portfolios, and supply chain liability issues
- A major German chemical and pharmaceutical company on patent infringement issues
- Handelsblatt/Best Lawyers™, “One of Germany’s leading lawyers”: Intellectual Property Law and Litigation, 2025-2027
- Lexology Index: Germany, 2026
- Lexology Index: Healthcare & Life Sciences, Recommended: Patent Litigation, 2025-2026
- European Patent Lawyers Association
- German Association for Intellectual Property Law
- LES – Licensing Executives Society
- Court of Appeal, Berlin, Second State Exam
- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Dr. jur.
- Universities of Bielefeld and Tübingen, First State Exam
- Germany
- German
- English
