"Managing partner, Friedrich Emmerling, would approach a problem from all possible directions and find a solution for the client."
Dr. Friedrich Emmerling is an equity partner at BDPE in Munich and a leading German patent attorney specializing in high-stakes patent litigation, with over 20 years’ experience, including more than 15 years focused exclusively on disputes.
He is widely recognized for his expertise in standard essential patents (SEPs) and FRAND issues, and is consistently ranked by leading directories including IAM Patent 1000, Chambers, Legal 500, JUVE and Managing IP Stars.
Dr Emmerling has acted in over 400 patent infringement, nullity and opposition cases, successfully representing clients before the European Patent Office (EPO), German Courts, and the Unified Patent Court (UPC). His practice covers both enforcement and defense strategies, often in parallel multi-jurisdictional proceedings coordinated with international law firms.
He has played a key role in several landmark SEP disputes shaping European case law, including Huawei v. MediaTek, Huawei v. Netgear, Huawei v. Amazon, Huawei v ZTE, Unwired Planet v Huawei and the Intellectual Ventures litigation against Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Telefónica Huawei etc., Conversant v Huawei, Nokia v. Daimler and other major SEP disputes before German courts, the EPO, and the UPC. He also acted in SolarEdge v Huawei, a major renewable energy dispute involving complex technical evidence and testing procedures.
His technical expertise spans mobile communications, automotive technology, semiconductors (including storage technologies), software, video and audio coding, and photovoltaics, supported by a PhD in physics from the Technical University of Munich and prior experience in the software industry.
In addition to litigation, he advises on patent strategy and portfolio management, with particular experience in opposition and nullity proceedings conducted in parallel with infringement actions.
Before co-founding BDPE, he spent eight years at Bird & Bird, including as a partner. He is known for his strategic approach, technical precision and effectiveness in complex, multi-party disputes.
Professional associations: epi, FICPI, GRUR
- Huawei v. MediaTek
- Huawei v. Netgear
- Huawei v. Amazon
- SolarEdge v. Huawei
- Huawei v. ZTE
- Unwired Planet v. Huawei
- Intellectual Ventures litigation v. Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Telefónica, Huawei, etc. Nokia v. Daimler
- Other major SEP disputes before the German courts, the EPO and the UPC
- German Patent Attorney
- European Patent Attorney
- European Trademark and Design Attorney
- Studies in Physics and Doctorate, TU München
- Germany: Federal Court of Justice (patent nullity proceedings only); Federal Patent Court (BPATG); German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA).
- Europe: Unified Patent Court (UPC); European Patent Office (EPO); European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
- International: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Related Practitioners
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Franck Régis Klein is a patent attorney and has been working in the IP industry for almost 20 years, working and assisting his clients exclusively in patent litigation for more than seven years in matters related to patent litigation, both on the defense and the attacker side. His litigation practice includes representing industrial companies on standard essential and implementation patents against competitors and patent exploitation companies. In addition to his technical expertise, Franck is highly experienced in coordinating and advancing proceedings in the interest of his clients and successfully co-operating with other representatives, attorneys or patent attorneys from different jurisdictions. Franck also has experience in research and development in the telecommunications industry. -
Melanie Zani has been working in the intellectual property field for nearly ten years and has focused exclusively on patent litigation for the past five years. Since joining BDPE in 2021, she has represented clients in complex patent disputes, with a particular focus on information technology and electrical engineering.