Partner
and access,
Johannes Graf Ballestrem is a patent litigator with a strong focus on technology involving mechanics, electronics, information technology and ‘access to data’ claims. He has outstanding experience in litigation concerning printer consumables, automotive supplies, remanufacturing and software implemented inventions. Johannes has specialised in patent law and technology disputes for over 15 years. After working in the patent litigation department of a leading international law firm in Dusseldorf, he joined Osborne Clarke and became partner in 2019. During his career, he has taken part in a wide range of patent litigation cases in the field of telecommunications, mechanics and software. Johannes also regularly advises in M&A transactions, licensing and product liability. He has particularly deep experience in the automotive and energy sector. Johannes represents clients before the civil courts as well as in arbitration and participates in parallel validity proceedings before the European Patent Office, the Federal Patent Court and the Federal Supreme Court. He is a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC). You can find the answers to the most frequently asked questions on the subject of Patent Litigation in Germany here and about the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court here. In Germany, Johannes advises his clients in patent infringement proceedings (patent litigation) from the office in Cologne. Cologne is in the immediate vicinity of one of the most important jurisdictions for patent disputes worldwide, Düsseldorf. Johannes advises clients in the energy sector on all aspects of technical intellectual property rights, with a particular focus on patents. Additionally, he has provided intellectual property support in transactions related to e-fuels and hydrogen. Johannes studied and trained in Bonn, Hamburg, Lausanne, London and Paris. He passed the international program of Sciences Po Paris and holds an LL.M. in intellectual property law from the University of Dusseldorf. As a member of the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, the Association of Intellectual Property Experts and the Licensing Executives Society, he publishes frequently on patent and procedural law. In particular, he is author of the books The assignment of patent and utility model rights by way of security and co-author of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the legal implications of AI and machine learning. Johannes is a visiting lecturer for patent law at the Leibniz University Hannover.
