Prüfer & Partner mbB is one of Germany’s most renowned IP law firms. It protects clients’ ideas, inventions and product developments around the world and enforces their claims in court – whether technical inventions or other IP rights. Today, nearly 45 employees – including 20 patent attorneys, attorneys-at-law and patent specialists – work for this IP boutique.

Prüfer & Partner was founded in 1972 by patent attorney, physicist and master optician Lutz H Prüfer as a pure patent attorneys’ office, which quickly developed into an internationally focused medium-sized law firm specialising in IP law. A successful generation change took place between 1998 and 2002 when Prüfer & Partner was taken over by patent attorneys Dr. Dorothea Hofer, Jürgen Feldmeier and Dr. Andreas Oser. Since then, Prüfer & Partner has been an established and highly respected medium-sized law firm with a stable global network of partners, which advises clients on the registration of IP rights, supports them in all IP matters and defends and enforces clients’ IP rights in court.

With Prüfer & Partner, you can expect a strong and carefully selected community of patent attorneys, attorneys-at-law and technical specialists. The firm represents its clients’ interests at the highest level. Prüfer & Partner’s patent attorneys and attorneys-at-law are familiar with complex and demanding mandates and work with great commitment.

Diligence and expertise play an important role in industrial property law protection. Prüfer & Partner patent attorneys and attorneys-at-law work strictly to German quality standards: thorough, punctual and cost-efficient.

Over the past 10 years, Prüfer & Partner has continuously expanded its expertise in patent and trademark litigation. Dr. Hofer and Mr. Feldmeier have been advising their client Brother Industries for years in a complex patent dispute concerning ink cartridges. Dr. Oser and Dr. Sonnenhauser support the pharmaceutical industry, including assisting Novartis with building up its patent portfolio. Dr. Sonnenhauser is further very experienced in all facets of prosecution and post-grant proceedings of inventions in the life-science field. 

Dr. Christian Gärtner is very experienced in oppositions and appeals before the European Patent Office and German Patent and Trademark Office, and is regularly involved in multi-party proceedings before Opposition Divisions and Boards of Appeals. Other Prüfer & Partner patent attorneys, including Christian Einsel, also regularly litigate both active and passive patent lawsuits. In addition, attorney-at-law Markus Adamczyk works for French and Asian clients, among others, in customs actions at the EU borders. As a result, Prüfer & Partner has extensive expertise across the entire IP field.

The Asian region has been playing an increasingly important role in the global economy for many years. It has developed into an important production location for both large and medium-sized companies. At the same time, South Korea and China in particular are rapidly catching up in terms of innovative business models and products. For this reason, Prüfer & Partner has a well-established Asia-desk and continuously cultivates its business, in particular in Japan, China and South Korea. Counselling clients from these countries regarding their IP affairs in Europe and supporting European clients doing business in Asia is a strength of Prüfer & Partner’s practice.

In 2020, Prüfer & Partner completed the transformation to a fully digital office. Thanks to flexible working hours and workflows, we can serve our clients’ needs even more efficiently. 

In 2024, patent attorneys Dr. Susanne Sonnenhauser and Dr. Christian Gärtner, having been working for Prüfer & Partner for a long time, joined the management board of Prüfer & Partner, who strive to maintain and expand existing client relationships.

Looking to the future, Prüfer & Partner plans to further consolidate and broaden its activities in Germany and Europe, to serve not only the international companies but also SMEs and start-ups, helping them protect their innovations and strengthen their position in an increasingly competitive market.

Located in Munich, the German heart of intellectual property, Prüfer & Partner is dedicated to serving its clients as a one-stop-shop IP boutique.