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.
Silver - Firms: prosecution and strategy
Modern, innovative, and vibrant – all perfect words to describe the trademark practice at IP powerhouse Zacco. A mighty force on the trademark scene with more than 500 employees spanning 30 offices worldwide, the set has extensive global reach and skilfully handles cross-border instructions. The Swedish contingent is “huge on the filing and prosecution side, it takes excellent care of clients, especially when they need to build their trademark portfolio.” Captaining the group is “intelligent and very experienced attorney” Claes Agnvall, who leverages over three decades of experience to devise robust filing strategies and represent brand owners’ interests to the hilt. Colleague Martin Tranälv – “a great lawyer with excellent client focus” – is a masterful strategist who takes a methodical approach. He has recently achieved what would once seem impossible – he obtained vital registrations for S-Invest trading. As two fresh faces in the WTR 1000 this year, Anders Sparlund is appreciated for his creativity and collaborative working style, recently taking the lead on managing the portfolios of Ellos Group and MTR Nordic. Meanwhile, Maria Beijer is rigorously business-minded and provides stellar advice to help start-ups to build their portfolios from the ground up. Another key contact for the address book is Malin Thunberg McCann, who is entrusted with complex enforcement mandates ranging from physical counterfeit products to online infringements.
Silver - Firms: prosecution and strategy
Zacco has a solid reputation for offering top-quality IP services, making the most of its sweeping international presence to seamlessly deliver 360-degree trademark protection from one location to the next. Senior partner Frode André Moen captains the group and has forged many longstanding relationships with A-list brand owners by placing client needs front and centre: “Frode is a pleasure to work with. He provides clear and practical advice and secures huge wins for clients. He is my first choice and recommendation for challenging trademark matters.” Another prime pick for household names is Tone Tangevald-Jensen, who has worked closely with PepsiCo in prosecution, contentious and unfair competition matters. Colleague Lars Henrik Stoud Platou is a safe pair of hands for global trademark portfolio management, adroitly implementing trademark strategies both domestically and further afield, and earning glowing praise in the process: “Lars is tremendous. He is very skilled, experienced and responsive – he always finds time for his clients and truly understands their needs and situations to present the best option. If it is something urgent, his calmness is priceless.” WTR 1000 newcomer Jens Herman Ruge regularly teams up with Henrik Platou to devise cost-efficient strategies to achieve complete brand protection, Herman Ruge is rigorously business minded and has a nuanced understanding of regulatory IP practice, thanks to his years at the NIPO. Another key contact is master litigator Per Vegard Bergheim, who takes a big-picture perspective to see where patrons’ opportunities and risks lie in order to handle disputes with a deft touch.
Silver - Firms
Full-service consultancy Zacco is home to more than 500 professionals operating out of 30 offices across Scandinavia, Northern Europe and Asia. Clients can tap into a wealth of international expertise making Zacco popular among global giants and start-ups alike. The Danish contingent is lauded for “its dedication to clients and their queries, the team follow-up regularly and provide meaningful, well-balanced advice which truly considers clients’ needs and preferences.” Lone Prehn “a collaborative, friendly and responsive attorney”, Knud Wallberg, Thomas Mølsgaard, and WTR 1000 newcomer Louise Thorning Ahle collaborate seamlessly to devise global prosecution strategies and handle oppositions and complex litigations for Denmark’s largest insurance company, Tryg Forsikring. While colleague Fabio Pezzolato has successfully safeguarded the IP rights of toy giant LEGO and has been vital in coordinating and advising on local licensing matters in the Chinese and Middle Eastern markets for Arla Foods. Working alongside Pezzolato to strengthen the brand identity of Arla Foods is Bolette Andersen, a fresh face in the guide this year who is appreciated for being “very professional and diligent in her work, Bolette understands the business environment and reliably guides us through the myriad of options that a challenge may entail. As a client, I feel totally at ease with Bolette because I know she has it all under control.” Senior partner Heidi Rehné is another essential contact for the address book, a smooth negotiator and poised litigator who leverages over 25 years in the game to progress matters forward in a commercially beneficial direction.
Zacco is a true European full-service IP firm with a 360-degree approach to intellectual property. There are more than 500 experts working here, including around 125 authorised patent attorneys and 75 authorised trademark and design attorneys and attorneys at law. We cover seven European jurisdictions – EUIPO/EPO, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland, and operate internationally through a comprehensive network of trusted long-term global partners.
Both Zacco as a firm and many of our attorneys have achieved Top Tier or Gold rankings and recommendations from Managing Intellectual Property, World Trademark Review, Intellectual Asset Management and The Legal 500, which we believe independently verifies our commitment to quality, excellence and innovation.
Patent, trademark and design prosecution
Zacco’s international presence ensures that clients need only a single point of contact to handle all their IP prosecution in several European jurisdictions. Thanks to our impressive number of patent attorneys, many of them authorised European patent attorneys, Zacco has an expert ready to assist clients in nearly all current and emerging fields of technology. As a client, you will find a skilled and knowledgeable practitioner able to help you secure, protect and enforce your ideas, whether you work in chemistry, green tech, mechanics, materials or biotech or emerging areas of digitalisation, software, AI and machine learning, among many others.
Our trademark and design practice assists all industries with filing and prosecution, availability and infringement opinions and has a special focus on EU trademark practice, including oppositions, cancellations and appeals before the EUIPO.
Litigation and disputes
When in need of experts in IP litigation and dispute matters, clients can rely on Zacco to represent them across our seven jurisdictions and beyond. Unlike more traditional law firms, we are renowned experts in intellectual property, meaning that we have both the legal and the technical expertise in-house to successfully represent your interests and enforce your intellectual property rights. Our experts can represent you directly, or provide litigation support to another legal counsel acting as your trusted representative before the authorities.
In contrast to many IP firms in Europe, Zacco can provide a full range of cross border IP legal services delivered by attorneys and lawyers within Zacco, throughout Scandinavia, the UK and Germany, as well as through cooperation with other leading law firms.
The legal practice serves all industries with legal advice and assistance related to intellectual property. This includes due diligence, drafting and negotiation of contracts or licensing agreements, data protection and other compliance matters, marketing law, e-commerce, litigation, domain name conflict resolution, customs surveillance and counterfeit prevention. Zacco’s lawyers have successfully represented international clients in proceedings before national courts and the European Court of Justice.
Digital brands
With a significant portion of IP infringement now taking place online, we have introduced services to help clients stay ahead of new and emerging threats to both physical and digital IP. Our digital brands team can actively monitor your IP and brand rights online, assisting with registration and securing of traditional and emerging domains, and in identifying potential counterfeits or infringements across online marketplaces, social media and the metaverse.
Our vision – IP 360: the future of intellectual property
Zacco takes care of our clients’ innovation, identity and digital assets – everything that you literally cannot put your finger on. We help define them, evaluate them, release their hidden value and protect them, now and in the future.
The world changes, and so do we. Zacco continuously evolves to best serve the changing needs of intellectual property. Digitalisation means that traditional borders or sectors may no longer apply and we have broadened our scope of services to meet the implications, threats and opportunities that emerge.
Due to our size, Zacco has specialists in almost all areas of intellectual property. Our service offerings cover the whole range of patent, trademark and design protection and litigation, as well as IP portfolio management, digital brand protection, cybersecurity and secure software development.
More than 150 years of experience with innovative thinking
We have a long history of working with international IP, dating back over 150 years. Through continuous focus on collaboration, the development and expansion of our services and our long-term growth strategy, Zacco has become one of Europe’s leading IP firms.
Jurisdiction