The WTR 1000 focuses exclusively on trademark practice and has firmly established itself as the definitive 'go-to' resource for those seeking world-class legal trademark expertise.
Gold - Firms
A supremely capable line-up of IP practitioners whose collective insight spans the brand spectrum operates out of Všetečka Zelený Švorčík and Partners. The ensemble puts in assured performances before the courts, counsel in several languages and is ideally placed to assist multinational corporations in safeguarding their assets in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Two of its star litigators, Martin Švorčík and Michal Havlík, are continually name checked by the market for their exceptional skill sets. Švorčík can take care of the total needs of clients, thanks to his trademark, unfair competition, business and labour law know-how; while Havlík – the president of the Czech chapter of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property – stays out in front of legal developments, adding tremendous value for patrons. The pair maintain a vibrant domain name dispute resolution practice and have also been working around the clock representing heavyweights in the pharmaceutical industry.
Havlík Švorčík and Partners, Law and Patent Office (formerly Všetečka Zelený Švorčík and Partners) is an IP and corporate law firm founded in 1990 in Prague. With over 40 team members, the firm is one of the largest and best-established IP practices in Czechia and Slovakia.
We are active members of the following international associations:
- the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI);
- ECTA;
- INTA;
- the International League of Competition Law;
- MARQUES; and
- the Pharmaceutical Trademarks Group.
Our clients
Our clients are leading international and domestic companies from the fields of luxury, pharmaceutical and chemical industry, automotive and consumer packaged goods and retail, as well as small and mid-sized companies, start-ups and individual rights holders.
Our values
The firm’s key values are:
- a reliable and practical approach – we provide hands-on, realistic legal advice and look for the most business-efficient solutions to our clients’ legal problems;
- individual and personal support – each client is assigned a single point of contact for all their communications;
- modern and digital – we stay abreast of new trends and technology.
Our team
Our legal team consists of four partners, five attorneys at law, four European patent attorneys and three European trademark attorneys supported by qualified staff.
Partner Michal Havlík is president of the AIPPI Czech National Group, while partner Otakar Švorčík serves as an arbitrator at the Czech Arbitration Court. Both serve as panellists for the ‘.eu’ and ‘.cz’ domain name disputes with the Czech Arbitration Court and WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre.
IP prosecution
We are a leading local firm in prosecution of applications for patents, trademarks and designs before the Czech and Slovak Industrial Property Offices and EPO, EUIPO and WIPO. Our patent attorneys and translators cover all fields of technology from mechanical engineering, construction, information technology to pharma and life sciences.
We provide strategic advice and administer several global patent and trademark portfolios.
IP enforcement
The firm assists clients in monitoring IP rights and enforcing them through court litigation in the Czech or Slovak courts and other available procedures. The firm is one of the few firms that regularly litigate patent infringement matters. Furthermore, the firm has an extensive anti-counterfeiting practice involving customs seizures and raids.
The firm has successfully assisted clients in numerous alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures to recover domain name registrations ,including the very first ADR decision in Slovakia concerning the domain name ‘vogue.sk’.
Corporate and commercial
In addition to intellectual property, the firm’s corporate law department handles corporate and commercial matters, real estate, labour, and competition and antitrust law.
Jurisdiction