Dipl.-Ing. Reinhard Knauer

German Patent Attorney, European Patent Attorney, Representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC)

knauer@grunecker.de     S/MIME

+49 (0) 89 21 23 50

Office: Munich

Languages: German, English, Portuguese

Expertise

Reinhard Knauer specialises in patent law, with a particular focus on software and information technology. With decades of experience, he represents leading global companies and is extensively involved in complex opposition, nullity, and patent infringement proceedings. He frequently appears before the Boards of Appeal, the Federal Patent Court, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), and the Patent Litigation Chambers.

His expertise includes the acquisition, defence, and enforcement of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) in telecommunications and audio-video coding, as well as advising on borderline cases of technicality, an area characterised by evolving jurisprudence in Europe. Reinhard also has profound knowledge of automation technology and components.

Having served as a longstanding advisor to prominent patent applicants worldwide, he possesses extensive experience in portfolio management, inventor law issues, and strategies for securing adequate cross-border patent protection.

Reinhard is a regular lecturer on software patenting and maintains a broad network of professional contacts in other countries, fostering frequent collaboration.

He is a member of FICPI, AIPPI, GRUR, IEEE and AIPLA.

Areas

  • Patent Law
  • Patent Infringement
  • Trademark Prosecution

Technical Fields

  • Information Technology
  • Software
  • Automation Technology
  • Components
  • Energy Technology

Vita

  • Studied electrical engineering and information technology at the Technical University of Munich, graduated in 1989
  • Trained as a patent attorney
  • German Patent Attorney, 1993
  • European Patent Attorney, 1994
  • European Trademark and Design Attorney, 1996
  • Partner at Grünecker, since 1996
  • Representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC), 2023

Publications & lectures

Preparing Patents for EP Examination and European Court Scrutiny from the Perspective of a US Entity: wspla.org
September 15, 2021

Building High-Quality Patent Portfolios in the United States and Europe: Part III – Examiner Interviews: ipwatchdog.com

Awards & Rankings

Recommended Individual – JUVE Patent, Germany, 2024/2025

Leading patent attorney in his field, Handelsblatt and Best Lawyers, 2025 edition

“..computer scientist Knauer is well placed to advise on complex SEP cases.” (IAM2022)

Silver – Germany – Individuals – Prosecution and Nullity | Recommended; European Patent Office
“Reinhard Knauer has a computer science background and has been practicing as a patent attorney for nearly 30 years. He is an especially accomplished operator in the fields of electrical engineering and software. His tactical acumen also makes him a smart choice for invalidity proceedings.” (IAM 2023)

Patent star – Germany, IP Stars, 2023

“The renowned computer scientist and Portugues speaker has a good economic and business understanding” (IAM2015)

Leading; Best IP Agencies for Patent Prosecution – Germany, Leaders League, 2023

Recommended; Patent Filing – Germany
“solid work, very sound technical expertise”, JUVE, 2023

“The firm has so many outstanding practitioners that it is difficult to select top names, but computer science and electrical supremo Reinhard Knauer must surely be among that number. Listed on both our infringement and prosecution/nullity tables this year, he is “one of the few patent attorneys who has a great understanding of business realities and how the legal aspects can be solved without obstructing the dynamics of a patent transaction”, according to one elite competitor.” (IAM 2019)

Core Attorney – Prosecution and official Proceedings (Tier 1)
“The key figures in the team include (…) Reinhard Knauer (electronics, computers, software, communications engineering).”, Legal500, 2023

“Very experienced and fantastic to work with. He always puts in a strong performance.” (IAM2017)

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