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 - Individuals: prosecution and strategy
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.
Heidi Rehné has been advising clients on legal matters related to intellectual property and branding rights for more than 25 years, both within renowned law offices and IP bureaus, giving her comprehensive insight into the identification, securing and maintenance of trademarks and designs. Her enforcement expertise see her assisting clients with opposition proceedings and conflict solutions and her skills as a negotiator have resulted in the evaluation and drafting of many successful settlement and co-existence agreements on behalf of her clients.
Her extensive knowledge of trademark law, combined with her commercial acumen and her ability to offer an international perspective, means that she is often involved throughout the brand development process, where her clients appreciate her clear and straightforward approach. Working with Zacco’s clients on some of the most recognised brands in the world, she is considered an expert in the development of IP and trademark strategy, she advises on potential opportunities for portfolio expansion and increasing the value of owned and planned rights. She also assists with a range of online protection strategies, helping her clients to establish online monitoring and enforcing rights by digital means where necessary.
Heidi graduated 1996 with an LLM from the University of Aarhus. Her skills and expertise are often recognised by the World Trademark Review with her ranking within the WTR 1000.
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 intellectual property, dating back to 1870. 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.