Thomas Kudlek

Background

Thomas became a Patentanwalt (German Patent Attorney) in 1995 after working for a Munich based German law firm, and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 1997. He is also a European Trade Mark and Design Attorney.

Thomas co-founded Kudlek, Grunert & Partner, a German firm of patent and trade mark attorneys, and joined Dehns as a partner following the merger of the two firms in 2021 .

His patent work includes mechanical engineering, optics and electrical engineering.

Type of clients and client work

Thomas’ practice involves all aspects of patent, designs and trade mark law: drafting, filing and prosecuting German and European patent applications, dealing with Oppositions and Appeals, and registering trade marks and designs. Thomas also has in depth expertise in copyright and domain names.

Thomas also has expertise in the field of patent litigation and arbitration, and advises in relation to infringement and validity of German patents, whether obtained nationally or at the EPO. He also advises on IP Strategy and provides advice on Due Diligence.

Most of his clients are large multinationals, including those based in Asia, but he also has a number of smaller clients based in Germany with whom he enjoys helping expand internationally.

Expertise

Thomas has technical expertise in fields such as mechanical engineering, automotive technology, electrical engineering optics and photonics. In particular, he has extensive knowledge of automotive technology, especially in automobile body and interior technology, common rail technology and hybrid systems.

Qualifications and Memberships

• German Patent Attorney, 1995
• European Patent Attorney, 1997
• European Trade Mark and Design Attorney

• Chamber of German Patent Attorneys
• European Patent Institute
• International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys
• International Trade Mark Association
• European Communities Trademark Association

Higher Education

• Scholarship at the Agricultural University of Wageningen, The Netherlands, 1996
• Dipl.Phys – Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, 1990 (Core subjects: solid state physics, laser physics and optics Diploma thesis in the field of solid state physics)

Other

Thomas speaks German, English and French.

Thomas has been named as one of ‘Germany’s Best Lawyers’ for patent law in an exclusive ranking published by the Handelsblatt in June 2021.