Attorneys-at-law
19 UPC Representatives · 38 SEP Litigators
United Kingdom · Germany · Spain · France · Italy · Poland · China · Hong Kong · United States
Short self-description
Clifford Chance is a global law firm with a strong presence across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East. Its IP team advises on multi-jurisdictional disputes, licensing, and portfolio strategy, often in collaboration with other practice areas and local counsel.
Main practice areas: IP law, patent litigation, and more.
Industry/technology focus: mechanical engineering; physics and general engineering; electrical engineering; electronics; information and communication technology; computer software, artificial intelligence and machine learning, blockchain and web3; virtual and augmented reality; automotive; aerospace; green tech and sustainable technologies; optics, optoelectronics and laser technology; chemistry; pharmaceutics; life sciences including biotech; medical devices and e-health.
UPC-related services: patent enforcement; defense against infringement claims; proactive revocation claims; defense against revocation claims; bring and pursue notice of opposition in EPO; defense in EPO opposition proceedings; unitary patent appeals from EPO; opt-outs and withdrawals.
Clifford Chance has practiced in seven CFI divisions, and before the CoA.
SEP-related services: advice on FRAND negotiations for SEP holders; advice on FRAND negotiations for implementers; SEP enforcement; defense against SEP infringement claims; bring revocation claims against SEPs (including EPO opposition, PTAB, etc.); SEP prosecution and defense against revocation claims targeting SEPs; bring antitrust-based FRAND claims; defense against antitrust-based FRAND claims; bring contract-based FRAND claims, defense against contract-based FRAND claims; pursuit of antisuit injunctions and interim licenses; defense against antisuit injunction and interim license motions; pursuit of anti-antisuit injunctions; defense against anti-antisuit injunction motions.
Rankings and awards
Managing IP EMEA Awards 2025:
- Europe Cross-Border Patent Litigation Team of the Year – Xiaomi and Oppo v. Panasonic;
- Europe Cross-Border Patent Litigation Team of the Year – Bayer (Xarelto);
- Spain Patent Disputes Firm of the Year;
- Miquel Montañá – Spain Practitioner of the Year (Law Firms).
Managing IP EMEA Awards 2024: Europe – Impact Case of the Year 2024, Huawei v. Netgear.
Legal 500:
- Spain: Band 1 – IP Patents; Miquel Montañá: Hall of Fame (Patents); Josep Montefusco: Leading Partner (Patents);
- Germany : Band 4 – Patent litigation;
- France: David Por – Leading Partners (Patents) and Cyril Riffaud – Leading Associate (Patents);
- United Kingdom: Don McCombie: Next Generation Partner (IP);
- Hong Kong: Band 3 – Intellectual Property.
Chambers:
- Spain: Band 1 Life sciences patent litigation; Miquel Montañá: Star individual (Intellectual Property: Patents and Life Sciences: Patent Litigation); Josep Montefusco: Band 3 (Intellectual Property: Patents, Life Sciences: Patent Litigation and Intellectual Property);
- France: Band 2 – David Por (Patent);
- Asia-Pacific: Band 3 – Intellectual Property;
- Greater China Region: Band 3 – Ling Ho (Intellectual Property);
- United Kingdom: Band 4 – Vanessa Marsland (Intellectual Property).
IAM Patent 1000 – 2025:
- Spain: Gold – Firms, litigation – recommended individuals: Ana Benetó; Laura Cachón; Fernando Cerdá; Adrián Crespo; Miquel Montaña; Josep Montefusco;
- Germany: Silver – Firms: infringement – recommended individuals: Tobias Hessel, Nicolas Hohn-Hein, Claudia Milbradt, Thomas Misgaiski, Stefan Richter;
- France – Recommended individuals: David Por;
- United Kingdom – Recommended individuals: Don McCombie;
- United States (New York) – Recommended individuals: Violetta Kokolus.
Juve – Germany & UPC, Tier 3 – Recommended individuals: Tobias Hessel and Stefan Richter.
UPC achievements
Successful infringement assertions (main proceedings)
- Huawei v. Netgear (December 18, 2024 – Munich LD):
Huawei wins Unified Patent Court injunction against Netgear over WiFi 6 in most important UPC SEP ruling to date – ip fray
Got infringement proceedings stayed
- Atlas Global Technologies v. TP-Link (Düsseldorf LD, UPC_CFI_417/2024, EP3186937):
Atlas Global at risk of losing four patents-in-suit against defendants including Acer, HP, TP-Link, Vantiva; already lost one definitively – ip fray - Atlas Global Technologies v. TP-Link (Düsseldorf LD, UPC_CFI_416/2024, EP3353901):
Atlas Global at risk of losing four patents-in-suit against defendants including Acer, HP, TP-Link, Vantiva; already lost one definitively – ip fray
Invalidated patents through revocation (counter)claim or EPO opposition
- Atlas Global Technologies v. TP-Link (December 10, 2025 – Düsseldorf LD, UPC_CFI_417/2024, EPO invalidated EP3186937):
Atlas Global suffers another blow to global WiFi 6 SEP enforcement campaign as EPO revokes key patent - Atlas Global Technologies v. TP-Link (April 17, 2024 – Düsseldorf LD, UPC_CFI_416/2024, EPO invalidated EP3353901 on July 11, 2025):
Atlas Global at risk of losing four patents-in-suit against defendants including Acer, HP, TP-Link, Vantiva; already lost one definitively – ip fray
Defended patents against revocation (counter)claim or EPO opposition
- Huawei v. Netgear (December 18, 2024 – Munich LD):
Huawei wins Unified Patent Court injunction against Netgear over WiFi 6 in most important UPC SEP ruling to date – ip fray
Obtained provisional measures (preliminary injunctions)
- Huawei v. Netgear (December 11, 2024 – Munich LD, UPC_CFI_791/2024, EP3678321, AASI):
UPC responds to first antisuit attack on its jurisdiction with first anti-antisuit injunction against Netgear; Huawei also gets one from Munich I Regional Court – ip fray
Settlements
- GSK v. Pfizer (Düsseldorf LD; UPC_CFI_468/2024, EP4183412):
GSK and Pfizer settle global RSV vaccine patent dispute – ip fray - Panasonic v. Oppo (Munich LD; UPC_CFI_208/2023, EP2197132; UPC_CFI_221/2023,EP3024163; UPC_CFI_225/2023, EP 2584854):
Panasonic settles SEP disputes with Xiaomi, OPPO; UK interim license made major impact, FRAND determination could have been influential – ip fray
SEP achievements
Won permanent SEP injunctions
- Huawei v. Netgear (December 18, 2024 – Munich LD):
Huawei wins Unified Patent Court injunction against Netgear over WiFi 6 in most important UPC SEP ruling to date – ip fray - Huawei v. AVM (November 10, 2023 – Munich Regional Court):
Huawei’s WiFi 6 patent wins over Amazon and router maker AVM validate licensing programs – ip fray
Won antisuit/anti-antisuit injunctions
- Huawei v. Netgear (December 11, 2024 – Munich LD):
UPC responds to first antisuit attack on its jurisdiction with first anti-antisuit injunction against Netgear; Huawei also gets one from Munich I Regional Court – ip fray
Invalidated SEPs (not UPC-related)
- Atlas Global Technologies v. TP-Link (August 7, 2025 – FPC):
Atlas Global at risk of losing four patents-in-suit against defendants including Acer, HP, TP-Link, Vantiva; already lost one definitively – ip fray - Atlas Global Technologies v. TP-Link (June 5, 2024 – EPO, EP3286857):
Atlas Global at risk of losing four patents-in-suit against defendants including Acer, HP, TP-Link, Vantiva; already lost one definitively – ip fray
Defended SEPs against invalidity contentions (not UPC-related)
- Huawei v. Netgear (December 12, 2024 – FPC, 2Ni 20/22 (EP) – EP3143741)
- Huawei v. Netgear (December 12, 2024 – FPC, 2 Ni 21/22 (EP) – EP3337077):
New Huawei v. Netgear filings discovered in Munich and UPC interim conference to take place next week: WiFi 6 SEPs – ip fray
Defended against SEP-based infringement allegations
- Atlas Global Technologies v. TP-Link (Munich Regional Court I, 7 O 4823/23 – patent declared invalid).
Settlements prior to decisions
- Huawei v. AVM (Munich Regional Court I – 21 O 5097/23, EP’ 749);
- Huawei v. AVM (Munich Regional Court I – 21 O 9227/23, EP ‘445);
- Huawei v. AVM (Munich Regional Court I – 7 O 2218/24, EP ‘112);
- Huawei v. AVM (Munich Regional Court I – 7 O 2991/24, EP’112);
- Huawei v. Netgear (Düsseldorf Regional Court – 4c O 8/22, EP ‘077);
- Huawei v. Netgear (Munich Regional Court I – 21 O 5901/24, EP ‘445);
- Huawei v. Netgear (Munich Regional Court I – 7 O 4995, EP ‘112).