ZSP Patentanwälte

What ZSP Patentanwälte does

ZSP Patentanwälte (legal entity: Zwicker Schnappauf & Partner Patentanwälte PartG mbB) is a Munich-headquartered German patent law firm founded in 1992, providing intellectual property legal services from offices in Munich and Berlin. The firm employs approximately 27 staff, including roughly 18 patent attorneys with diverse scientific and engineering backgrounds spanning chemistry, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical technology, and mechanical/electrical engineering; many hold advanced technical degrees (Dipl.-Chem., Dipl.-Biol., Dipl.-Phys., Dipl.-Ing.) and several are admitted as European Patent Attorneys, European Patent Litigators, and European Trademark and Design Attorneys. The firm is authorized to practice before the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) and the European Patent Office (EPO).

ZSP operates across five core service lines: (1) Patent prosecution, defense, opposition, and portfolio management; (2) Trademarks/Brands registration and opposition; (3) Designs registration and invalidity proceedings; (4) Licensing contract law; and (5) Employee invention law (Arbeitnehmererfinderrecht). The firm serves clients in five vertical industries — biotechnology, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, medical technology, and mechanical engineering/technology — reflecting a deliberate alignment of attorney technical expertise with client R&D-intensive sectors. A secure client portal (portal.zsp-ip.de) supports document exchange with existing clients. The firm's value proposition rests on cross-disciplinary technical fluency, particularly for life sciences and chemistry clients requiring prosecution before DPMA and EPO.

The firm operates a sales-led, relationship-based professional services model with quote-based pricing that is not publicly disclosed. Revenue is generated through billable hours on patent prosecution, opposition, licensing, and advisory matters, typically structured as multi-year engagements tied to patent portfolio lifecycles. As a private partnership (PartG mbB) — currently led by five Managing Partners (Dr. Jörk Zwicker, Dr. Georg Schnappauf, Dr. Christian Müller, Dr. Andrea Geling, Dr. Susanne Schollweck) plus a non-managing Partner (Dr. Sebastian Höpfner) — the firm has no external shareholders, no funding history, and no parent company. Distribution is conducted through direct client engagement and visibility via professional bodies (Bio Deutschland, Licensing Executives Society) and a LinkedIn corporate presence; no referral or marketplace intermediaries are used.

Name

ZSP Patentanwälte

Legal name

Zwicker Schnappauf & Partner Patentanwälte PartG mbB

Website

https://zsp-ip.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ZSP Patentanwälte is a Munich- and Berlin-based German patent law firm (PartG mbB), founded 1992, with ~27 staff providing patent prosecution, trademark, design, licensing, and employee invention law services to clients in biotechnology, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, medical technology, and mechanical engineering before the DPMA and EPO.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Law Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Intellectual Property (IP) Law (BPAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA), Trademark Prosecution & Brand Protection (BPAHAMAB), IP Filing, Annuities & Renewals Administration (BPAHAMAJ)

Keywords

• Patent prosecution services
• Intellectual property law
• Trademark registration
• Patent litigation
• IP portfolio management

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Patent Attorney Services: Professional legal services for obtaining, defending, and enforcing intellectual property rights including patents, trademarks, utility models, and designs. Services include filing patent applications with German Patent and Trademark Office and European Patent Office, representing clients in opposition proceedings, and providing counsel on employee invention law and licensing agreements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ZSP Patentanwälte is a German patent law firm providing comprehensive intellectual property legal services including obtaining, defending, and enforcing patent rights, trademark registration, design protection, licensing contract advisory, and employee invention law. The firm represents clients before the German Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patent Office, with particular technical expertise in chemistry, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical technology, and mechanical engineering.

Product overview

ZSP Patentanwälte (Zwicker Schnappauf & Partner Patentanwälte PartG mbB) is a patent law firm providing comprehensive intellectual property legal services from offices in Munich and Berlin. The firm operates as a unified legal practice offering five core service lines: Patents (patent prosecution and defense), Trademarks/Brands, Designs, Licensing Contract Law, and Employee Invention Law. The firm serves industries including biotechnology, chemistry, medical technology, pharmacy, and mechanical engineering/technology. A client portal is available for secure client communication. Founded in 1992, the firm has approximately 18 patent attorneys and staff across its two German offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patents Obtaining, defending, and enforcing patent rights for inventions across all technical fields. Services include patent application filing, prosecution before the German Patent and Trademark Office and European Patent Office, opposition proceedings, and strategic IP portfolio management.
• Trademarks/Brands Filing trademark applications and representing clients in opposition and cancellation proceedings. Services cover word marks, graphic designs, colors, and multi-component trademarks before the German Patent and Trademark Office and European Union Intellectual Property Office.
• Designs Registration and protection of industrial designs, including registered Community designs and German designs. Representation in invalidity and cancellation proceedings before relevant design authorities.
• Licensing Contract Law Negotiation, drafting, and advisory services for license agreements relating to intellectual property rights including patents, trademarks, designs, and copyrights.
• Employee Invention Law Advisory services on employee invention law, including strategies, flowcharts, and forms for managing service inventions and employer/employee rights under the German Employee Inventions Act.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and minor.

• Bio Deutschland - Working Group 'Industrial Property Rights and Technical Contracts'moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerZSP employees are active in committees and bodies on industrial property protection, specifically the working group focused on IP rights and technical contracts within Bio Deutschland organization.
• Licensing Executives Society (LES)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerZSP employees participate in the Licensing Executives Society (LES), an international organization for licensing and technology transfer professionals.
• LinkedInminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCompany presence maintained on LinkedIn for job applications, information/PR, and active sourcing purposes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Grünecker Patent- und Rechtsanwälte: Germany's largest patent firm headquartered in Munich; competes with ZSP for life-sciences and mechanical engineering prosecution work across DE/EP forums.
• Bardehle Pagenberg Partnerschaft mbB: Full-service IP firm in Munich combining patent prosecution and IP litigation; overlaps with ZSP on patent prosecution and licensing support for life-sciences clients.
• Meissner Bolte Patentanwälte Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaft mbB: Multi-office German patent firm with comparable chemistry, mechanical engineering and medical device prosecution practice; offers a similar boutique-to-mid-tier service profile.
• WSL Patentanwälte Partnerschaft mbB: Mid-sized German patent firm with chemistry, biotech and pharma expertise; comparable on DE/EP prosecution scope, partnership structure and technical specialization.
• Vossius & Partner Patentanwälte: ZSP's direct predecessor name and closest peer — a Munich-based patent attorney firm with comparable life-sciences and chemistry focus, EPO/DPMA practice, and similar boutique scale.
• df-mp Dörries Frank-Molnia & Partner Patentanwälte mbB: Munich-based patent boutique comparable in scale and vertical specialization (chemistry, biotech, mechanical engineering), competing for similar mid-market EPO/DPMA mandates.
• Eisenführ Speiser Patentanwalts- und Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH: Bremen/Munich-based patent firm with direct overlap in life-sciences, mechanical engineering and licensing/employee invention law practice areas served by ZSP.
• Maiwald Patentanwalts- und Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH: Munich-based patent boutique with strong pharma, biotech and chemistry practice — directly comparable on technical depth, client mix and EPO/DPMA prosecution focus.
• Zimmermann & Partner Patentanwälte mbB: German patent firm with overlapping prosecution, opposition and employee-invention-law services for chemical, biotech and mechanical engineering clients; structurally similar partnership model.
• Hoffmann Eitle Patent- und Rechtsanwälte: One of the largest Munich patent attorney firms, directly comparable on chemistry/biotech/pharma prosecution, oppositions, and EPO practice, but at much larger bench scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zsp-patentanw%C3%A4lte

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ZSP Patentanwälte