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
Bronze - 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.
Knud Wallberg has more than 25 years of experience in intellectual property as an attorney at law in private practice and as the former head of the Trademark and Design Department of the Danish Patent and Trademark Office.
Mr Wallberg draws on his comprehensive professional legislative, executive and judicial experience to guide his clients on the best practice use of trademarks, designs and domain names. He is able to explore their nuances and applications, and advise on the most practical means of incorporating them into the development and implementation of both a domestic and international branding IP strategy.
Mr Wallberg is an expert in assessing and developing the value contained within different IP rights and is able to quickly identify their potential market applications. As a specialist in online protection and the prevention of IP exploitation, he is also able to advise on how such rights fit into a wider strategy, offering detailed counsel on his client’s specific requirements, including where and how protective measures might be necessary.
Mr Wallberg has been a UDRP panellist with WIPO since 2000 and an expert member of the ‘.dk’ Complaints Board for Domain Names since 2003. He has also been an expert member of the Danish Appeal Board for Patents and Trademarks since 2013.
Mr Wallberg also helps guide both students and professionals through his lectures on IP law and domain names at both the law faculty of Copenhagen University and the Danish Institute for Intellectual Property Law Education.
He is the author of numerous publications about trademarks, domain names and IP-related issues. One of his most recent publications, now in its sixth edition, offers detailed insight into both the Trademark Act and subsequent amendments. It has been described as “the definitive guide to Danish Trademark law and practice” and is considered the authoritative text by many trademark professionals in Denmark.
Mr Wallberg is frequently recognised in the World Trademark Review’s 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.