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 specializes 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, defense, and enforcement of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) in telecommunications and audio-video coding, as well as advising on borderline cases of technicality, an area characterized 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