Achievements of the patent firm

Outstanding Service

KUHNEN & WACKER regularly receives numerous awards. These awards underline the above-average degree of quality of our work and keep us ambitious so we can remain among the best in the field of patent law and intellectual property rights in the future as well.

2024

Recommendation

Silver - Individuals

"For more than 45 years, the attorneys at Kuhnen & Wacker have been dishing out highly specialist IP advice on both trademark and patent matters. Particularly accomplished in the litigation space, the firm is also well equipped to handle filings, and is a safe bet for the enforcement of preliminary injunctions and customs seizures. Christian Thomas has been handling trademark matters at the firm for nearly 20 years. He has filed thousands of trademark and design applications and has cultivated unique expertise in the protection of spare parts and accessories. Detlef von Ahsen is a patent attorney with a mechanical engineering background. Assiduously cultivating branding expertise, von Ahsen's technical background pays dividends in similarity assessments in opposition cases. He has developed niche expertise in the field of 3D trademarks."
(2024, World Trademark Review (WTR*) 1000)

2023

WTR – Recommended Firm 2023

WTR – Recommended Firm 2023

WTR – Recommended Individual 2023

WTR – Recommended Individual 2023

WTR – Recommended Individual 2023

WTR – Recommended Individual 2023

Recommendation

"KUHNEN & WACKER has been servicing its clients for more than 45 years and now handles over 4,500 trademark files. The firm has continued to expand recently, adding a new office in Munich in 2021. Christian Thomas splits his time between this new outpost and the group's main IP hub in Freising. "Christian is an excellent lawyer. He is very straightforward, has an incredible amount of knowledge and his work product is always top quality." Joining him is Detlef von Ahsen, who handles a combination of patent and trademark mandates. He has developed a niche offering in the area of 3D marks."
(2023, World Trademark Review (WTR*) 1000)

2022

IAM 1000 – Recommended Firm 2022

IAM 1000 – Recommended Firm 2022

IP STARS – Ranked Firm 2022

IP STARS from Managing IP – Ranked Firm 2022

2022

Recommendations

"The reliable team of 20 at KUHNEN & WACKER – which includes patent attorneys, attorneys-at-law and engineers – can be relied upon for everything from portfolio management to freedom-to-operate analyses and due diligence projects. For more than 40 years it has served the needs of a varied clientele, which includes promising start-ups as well as some of the main names in the electronics and automotive sectors. Key among its battalion of specialists are senior partners Rainer Kuhnen and Stephan Kopp."
(IAM Patent 1000** – The World´s Leading Patent Professionals 2022)

"For over four decades, KUHNEN & WACKER has provided a cradle-to-grave trademark service to the German market, and clients continue to take note of the "speed and accuracy" of its advice. Prosecution, litigation, administrative actions and border seizures are all covered with finesse by the firm, which consistently goes above and beyond for patrons. While in the past it mainly served an international clientele, in recent years it has been dialled up by domestic SMEs for its innovative, bespoke strategies. Leading the department is Christian Thomas, who has been resident at the firm since the start of his career in 2005; in the intervening time he has filed thousands of trademark and design applications, appeared in countless disputes and developed niche insight on the IP protection of spare parts and accessories. "Christian is a bright and experienced trademark attorney who gives practical advice in a cost-effective manner. He is good at negotiating settlement agreements on terms that align with clients' objectives." At his side is combined patent and trademark attorney Detlef von Ahsen, whose former career in industry as a product engineer means he can easily see things from the point of view of innovators. While he is a strong all-round counsellor, 3D trademarks are aspeciality."

(2022, World Trademark Review (WTR*) 1000)

2021

WTR – Recommended Firm 2021

WTR – Recommended Firm 2021

FT – Leading Patent Law Firm 2021

Recommendation

"Established more than 40 years ago, KUHNEN & WACKER ticks every box on the trademark front. Filings, opposition proceedings, litigation and border seizures are all in a day's work for the outfit, which continues to grow and took on several new staff members this year. "The team are outstanding and always provide timely and practical advice. They give clear cost estimates before beginning projects and always stick to them."
Leading the charge is Christian Thomas, a seasoned IP adviser and litigator who frequently appears before the German civil courts,
the Federal German Patent Court and the CJEU, and understands the intricacies of obtaining IP protection for spare parts and accessories."
(February 2021, World Trademark Review (WTR*) 1000)

2020

WTR – Recommended Firm 2020

WTR – Recommended Firm 2020

WTR – Recommended Individual 2020

WTR – Recommended Individual 2020

IAM 1000 – Recommended Firm 2020

IAM 1000 – Recommended Firm 2020

FT – Leading Patent Law Firm 2020

Recommendations

"Based in Freising, KUHNEN & WACKER provides farsighted, client-focused patent prosecution services to innovators across all sectors, from pharmaceuticals to mechanical engineering. Whether conducting patent searches, portfolio management, due diligence or freedom-to-operate analyses, it operates with percipience and finesse; it also has all the answers to competition law questions. The trusted allies of companies not only from within Germany and Europe, but also from as far afield as Asia and North America, its attorneys regularly collaborate to ensure a perfectly tailored service. Many have hands-on experience as R&D engineers, which means they speak the language of their clients and intimately understand their needs."
(IAM Patent 1000** – The World´s Leading Patent Professionals 2020)

"From filings and renewals to pre-dispute counselling and litigation, Kuhnen & Wacker impresses with the quality of its work at every turn. Handling more than 4,500 active files, the team communicates clearly and precisely at all times. Clients are always kept informed of any updates and receive the perfect level of advice. It is not just the set that garners effusive praise from all corners of the market, practice head Christian Thomas does too. Extremely trustworthy and reliable, Christian delivers top-notch results. He is responsive and to the point, as well as being great fun to work with. An excellent lawyer, he partners well with companies that have international ambitions."
(February 2020, World Trademark Review (WTR*) 1000)

2019

WTR – Recommended Firm 2019

WTR – Recommended Firm 2019

IAM 1000 – Recommended Firm 2019

iam 1000 – Recommended Firm 2019

Recommendations

"KUHNEN & WACKER's pragmatic, intelligent advice is what clients dream of when they engage a patent attorney firm. With over 40 years' experience strategising, filing and passing on its knowledge to the wider industry, the firm has built an excellent reputation for forming client relationships that stand the test of time. "KUHNEN & WACKER is an extremely responsive firm whose practitioners are very quick to pick up the phone. Working with the firm is a very collaborative experience; I hold it in the highest regard." Senior partner Stephan Kopp is the go-to name for prospective clients."
(IAM Patent 1000** – The World´s Leading Patent Professionals 2019)

"KUHNEN & WACKER collaborates closely with clients on the full spectrum of trademark matters – from clearance checks through portfolio management all the way up to hot-blooded enforcement. Because it has a close network of friends internationally, it can provide effective support in over 150 countries. What is more, its offices are rigged up with state-of-the-art IT infrastructure, meaning that all operations are handled seamlessly. Christian Thomas's technical sharpness and experience place him "among the best trademark prosecutors in Germany"."
(January 2019, World Trademark Review (WTR*) 1000)

2018

WTR – Recommended Firm 2018

WTR – Recommended Firm 2018

WTR – Recommended Individual 2018

WTR – Recommended Individual 2018

IAM 1000 – Recommended Firm

iam 1000 – Recommended Firm 2018

Recommendations

"KUHNEN & WACKER is a nimble-footed boutique that plies its trade at the leading edge of patent law. Over the past 40 years it has refined its service so that rights holders receive unreservedly commercial support and around-the-clock attention at a price that makes sense. No application is deemed good to go until it is truly watertight and monetisation opportunities are pounced upon in double-quick time. Mechanical engineering ace Stephan Kopp is the first point of contact for interested parties." 
(IAM Patent 1000** – The World's Leading Patent Professionals 2018)

"KUHNEN & WACKER has spent four decades refining its customer service into the premium offering it now is; its lawyers immerse themselves wholly in their clients' markets – so that nothing lies outside their field of vision – and then provide swift, reliable, business-focused counsel. Whatever the issue, prosecution, licensing or enforcement, Christian Thomas has the skill set and requisite experience to sort it out. He is as artful filing applications before the German Patent and Trademark Office as he is pleading in court."
(January 2018, World Trademark Review (WTR*) 1000)

2017

WTR – Recommended Firm 2017

WTR – Recommended Firm 2017

WTR – Recommended Individual 2017

WTR – Recommended Individual 2017

Recommendation

"Christian Thomas dispenses strong strategic counsel in a short timeframe and at a reasonable price. He has in-depth licensing, merchandising and anti-counterfeiting expertise."
(January 2017, World Trademark Review (WTR*) 1000)

2016

IAM 1000 – Recommended Firm

iam 1000 – Recommended Firm 2016

WTR – Recommended Firm 2016

WTR – Recommended Firm 2016

WTR – Recommended Individual 2016

WTR – Recommended Individual 2016

2015

IAM 1000 – Recommended Firm

iam 1000 – Recommended Firm 2015

IAM 1000 – Recommended Individual

iam 1000 – Recommended Individual 2015

Recommendation

"Christian Thomas is one of the best German IP lawyers and is highly specialised in trademark and design law. He is responsive, quick and pragmatic, and his answers are always short and to the point."
(January 2015, World Trademark Review (WTR*) 1000)

2014

Global Law Experts – Recommended Firm

Global Law Experts – Recommended Firm

Intellectual Property Awards

Intellectual Property Awards

Recommendation

"Christian Thomas is excellent. He is very efficient and his advice is always right on point. In litigation he takes a very practical approach, which helps secure victory after victory for the client." 
(January 2014, World Trademark Review (WTR*) 1000) 

 



*WTR 1000 is the world's only independent multimedia publication dedicated exclusively to reporting on trademark issues for in-house and private practitioners internationally.

**The IAM Patent 1000 has become the definitive directory exclusively dedicated to identifying the world's leading patent services providers. The extensive research process for this guide was conducted over several months by a team of full-time analysts, and involved more than 1,700 interviews with patent specialists across the globe. Legal and attorney firms and individual practitioners qualify for inclusion in the IAM Patent 1000 upon receiving sufficient positive feedback from market sources.