DORDA Rechtsanwälte GmbH‘s ‘remarkable’ team tackles the gamut of IP matters, overseeing complex copyright and trade mark disputes, including claims brought by collecting societies, and is also sought out for its skill in negotiation IP licensing agreements and managing IP portfolios. Practice head Axel Anderl ‘ensures everything works smoothly’ for clients, handling copyright disputes before the ECJ and assisting clients in opposition proceedings across multiple jurisdictions. Andreas Seling, who made partner in February 2024, is a trade marks and unfair competition specialist, while Ida Woltran focuses on copyright levies and matters tied to software copyright protections. Alexandra Ciarnau bridges the gap between IP and digitalisation challenges.

The ‘exceptional work’ of Gassauer-Fleissner Rechtsanwälte covers a broad range of IP matters, with particular expertise in acting for pharmaceutical companies seeking to protect blockbuster drugs via infringement and validity proceedings against generics manufacturers. The practice also tackles soft IP mandates, including helping clients close trademark coexistence and licensing agreements. The team is jointly headed by Christian Gassauer-Fleissner, a specialist in patent disputes who also hears cases as a WIPO arbitrator, pharmaceutical patent litigation expert Dominik Göbel and Manuel Wegrostek, whose practice encompasses both pharmaceutical patent disputes in addition to pleading trademark and design disputes.

GEISTWERT‘s ‘smart, pragmatic’ team acts for clients requiring assistance with the daily management of trademark and copyright portfolios across sectors ranging from food and beverages to electronics, carrying out registration assessments and overseeing licensing negotiations. On the contentious front, the practice pleads cases before the courts where trademark or copyright infringements are alleged and defends inventor’s remuneration claims brought by former employees. Comprising the team are copyright litigator Constantin Kletzer, IP transactions and licensing specialists Juliane Messner and Max Mosing, Alexander Schnider, who focuses on IP mandates in the gaming sector, and Rainer Schultes, who is the group’s patent litigation specialist.

Schoenherr (Schönherr Rechtsanwälte) takes a ‘proactive approach to tackling complex cases,’ pleading trademark, patent and unfair competition disputes before the Austrian Supreme Court, the EUIPO and ECJ. Outside of the courtroom, the practice assists clients with the registration and ongoing management of their IP, including overseeing licensing agreements and IP transfers. A tripartite team of Michael Woller, an expert in both trademark, patent and false advertising litigation, Christian Schumacher, whose contentious trademarks practice covers inter alia colour and single letter marks, and Dominik Hofmarcher, whose workload encompasses unfair competition, trade secrets and trademark matters, heads the team.

Schwarz Schönherr Rechtsanwälte OEG provides ‘reliable, fast and pragmatic’ advice to clients seeking to bring trademark infringement or counterfeiting claims against producers of illicit goods, while also assisting with multijurisdictional trademark searches, IP portfolio transfers and licensing arrangements. Georg Schönherr tackles a broad spectrum of IP matters, ranging from trademark cancellation and infringement proceedings to day-to-day portfolio management. He heads the team alongside Markus Grötschl, whose expertise extends to trademark registration and monitoring in addition to representing clients in cancellation and opposition proceedings and advising on design rights and protections. Grötschl is particularly sought after by fashion industry clients, whom he assists throughout anti-counterfeiting cases.

Wolf Theiss Rechtsanwälte GmbH & Co KG’s ‘responsive and rigorous’ IP team is the practice of choice for a number of major names in the streaming and social media sectors in relation to copyright matters, assisting them with securing protections for their property and handling compensation negotiations with collecting societies. The group is also frequently instructed in pharmaceutical patent disputes, with practice head Georg Kresbach handling both applications for and defences of injunctions in addition to infringement proceedings. Kresbach is also sought after by social media and telecoms companies for assistance on soft IP disputes. Adolf Zemann’s practice encompasses a mixture of contentious and non-contentious patent, trademark and trade secrets matters, while Phillip Wrabetz advises at the intersection of IP and IT law.

Binder Grösswang‘s TMT-focused IP team is particularly adept at overseeing trademark portfolios, handling clearance searches, registrations and IP transfers, while also acting for clients either bringing or facing infringement allegations before the courts. Practice head Ivo Rungg coordinates global trademark strategies for his digital sector clients and is also well versed in unfair competition and advertising regulations. Michael Horak helps clients enforce their trademarks and copyrights, with further expertise in patent and design right issues, with Hellmut Buchroithner advising on overarching IP strategies and licensing agreements.

CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz Rechtsanwälte GmbH acts across the gamut of hard and soft IP matters, assisting clients with the running management of their trademark portfolios, including applying for new trademarks and negotiating license agreements, while also bringing claims against alleged infringers in the Austrian courts. Heading the team is Egon Engin-Deniz, whose practice covers trademark and domain law, advising clients on the licensing of their IP rights and representing them in cross-border anti-piracy proceedings. Gabriela Staber acts for a roster of regulated clients in criminal infringement hearings, while Hans Lederer handles opposition proceedings before the EUIPO and Austrian Patent Office.

Taylor Wessing enwc Rechtsanwälte GmbH‘s expertise in patent infringement disputes sees the firm instructed by high profile tech and pharma clients, pleading cases before the UPC in Austria and abroad. These disputes are handled by ‘exceptional lawyer’ Thomas Adocker, whose focus is on multijurisdictional patent disputes, but also extends to patent licensing, technology transfers and applications for unitary patents. Practice head Martin Prohaska-Marchried is the key contact for trade mark and copyright infringement disputes, and also litigates greenwashing claims under unfair competition and advertising regulations.

Under the stewardship of IP and data protection specialist Lukas Feiler, Baker McKenzie Rechtsanwälte LLP & Co KG manages the trade mark portfolios of several well known clients and enforces them before the Austrian and European courts. The team is particularly adept at assisting online clients. Martina Grama operates a broad practice, assisting clients with matters of unfair competition, trade mark and copyright law.

Clients rely on Cerha Hempel to oversee the day-to-day management of their trade mark portfolios, advising on the registration, monitoring and licensing of their IP in addition to carrying out due diligence on IP ownership in the leadup to corporate transactions. On the contentious front, Mark Krenn‘s team pleads trade mark and copyright infringement cases in addition to unfair competition matters before the courts. Alina Alavi Kia is ‘extremely competent in the field of intellectual property,’ called upon by clients looking to challenge copyright and domain infringements and also overseeing licensing arrangements.

In addition to advising clients on the ongoing management of their trade mark and copyright portfolios, KWR Karasek Wietrzyk Rechtsanwälte GmbH‘s ‘outstanding team of specialists’ also takes on cancellation, opposition and unfair competition proceedings before the Austrian courts and EUIPO. Team lead Barbara Kuchar uses her ‘exceptional expertise’ to assist clients with challenges across the spectrum of hard and soft IP matters and is also well versed in the adjacent areas of advertising and e-commerce regulations.

Wiltschek Plasser Rechtsanwälte takes on the spectrum of contentious IP matters, handling trade mark, copyright infringement and unfair competition proceedings, while also advising clients on the management and protection of their intellectual property. Lothar Wiltschek is frequently mandated in patent infringement and unfair competition disputes, with further expertise in handling claims brought by employees relating to their inventions. David Plasser  combines his understanding of both hard and soft IP law with expertise in pharmaceutical and data protection law, allowing him to advise on complex issues concerning pharmaceutical products and medical devices.

Anwälte Burger und Partner Rechtsanwalt Gmbh (ABP) brings its ‘excellent technical understanding’ to bear for clients facing patent disputes before the Austrian, German and European courts, leading infringement claims and defences for clients in addition to advising them on the filing of opposition and nullity claims. The core team consists of European Patent Attorney Hannes Burger, trade marks and designs specialist Clemens Ofner, IP contracts and licensing expert Katarina Casals Ide and head of litigation Eike Schaper.

Brauneis Rechtsanwälte‘s ‘very responsive and very knowledgeable’ team is noted for its expertise in handling both trademark prosecutions and portfolio management in addition to representing prominent clients from the spirits and cosmetics sectors in infringement and ownership disputes. The ‘extremely sharp’ Martin Reinisch spearheads the firm’s IP efforts, maintaining a wide-ranging practice that encompasses both trademark and copyright protection and management, while also coordinating clients’ anti-counterfeiting measures and handling infringement proceedings.

At E+H Rechtsanwälte GmbH, the IP team works alongside the firm's corporate and competition teams to oversee IP due diligence in the leadup to M&A and is also tasked with monitoring clients' trade mark portfolios and ensuring their IP is not used by unlicensed parties.  Practice head Andreas Zellhofer leverages his competition expertise to assist clients in bringing unfair competition claims, while also assisting them in asserting both hard and soft IP rights. Helmut Liebel is active at the intersection of IP and IT law, focusing in particular on trade mark issues.

Under the guidance of Claudia Csáky, GRAF ISOLA's 'well-reputed practice' is tasked with overseeing clients' trade mark portfolios, while also representing them in infringement disputes before the courts. Csáky maintains a broad IP practice, taking on trade mark and patent management mandates in addition to overseeing unfair competition and IP litigation.

Herbst Kinsky Rechtsanwalte GmbH oversees the trade mark and copyright portfolios of both domestic and international clients, with particular expertise in acting for clients in the IT, biotech and life sciences sectors. Sonja Hebenstreit heads the group, handling trade mark registration applications before the Austrian Patent Office, EUIPO and WIPO. Irmgard Nemec handles trade mark clearance searches and assists clients in negotiating licence agreements.

PENDL MAIR Attorneys at Law places particular emphasis on trade mark matters, overseeing the portfolios of both Austrian and international clients and assisting with clearance searches, registration applications and post-refusal appeals. The core team consists of Rudolf Pendl, who specialises in trade mark prosecution and licensing, litigator and enforcement expert Gerald Mair and Sebastian Feurstein, who handles the spectrum of contentious and non-contentious trade mark and copyright matters.

SAXINGER Rechtsanwalts GmbH handles the trade mark portfolios of a number of clients, helping them to register their own IP and monitoring the applications of others, filing opposition motions where similarities occur. The practice is headed up by Maximilian Gumpoldsberger, who advises on the registration of trade marks and appears in court on infringement claims, unfair competition litigator Reinhard Paulitsch and Michael Pachinger, who acts at the intersection of trade mark, patent and IT law.

DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach Rechtsanwälte GmbH is adept at handling IP due diligence and transfers tied to corporate transactions and is tasked with overseeing trade mark and patent prosecutions in addition to providing representation in infringement litigation. Practice head Sabine Fehringer specialises in handling IP transactions, including licensing and technology transfer deals, while Veronika Appl represents clients in trade mark and copyright disputes before the national courts, EUIPO and UPC.

EY Law - Pelzmann Gall Größ Rechtsanwälte GmbH concentrates its efforts on protection the IP of new technologies, including blockchain and AI applications. Heading the team is Martin Hanzl, who was promoted to partner in July 2024 and whose specialism lies in the conclusion of copyright and software licensing deals. Marie Winter‘s practice is located at the confluence of IP and consumer protection law.

Jank Weiler Operenyi is the first port of call for several Austrian film production companies requiring assistance with the registration and enforcement of their copyrights, while also providing a wide roster of clients, ranging from real estate to luxury goods, with support in the management of their trade mark portfolios. Practice head Sascha Jung helps clients formulate IP protection strategies and enforces them via the courts.

Lansky, Ganzger, Goeth & Partner Rechtsanwälte GmbH focuses its IP expertise on the media and publishing sector, advising both film and print clients on the registration of trade marks and copyrights in Austria and further afield, while also tackling disputes at confluence of IP and competition law. Practice head Gerald Ganzger, who is also admitted to the Slovak Bar, is noted for his expertise in handling matters at the intersection of soft IP and media law.