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Gold standard IP boutique GEISTWERT sets the benchmark for IP excellence in Austria, offering a dynamic and highly specialised service across the full spectrum of IP matters. The firm’s potent team of five partners – Alexander Schnider, Rainer Schultes, Constantin Kletzer, Juliane Messner, and Max Mosing – forms the driving force behind its reputation for pragmatic advice, swift responsiveness, and deep sectoral expertise, particularly in contentious trademark work. Schnider is a standout in IP issues in the gaming industry, with additional strength in unfair competition and copyright law. Schultes brings deft handling of international domain disputes and complex cases across the automotive, pharmaceutical, and technology sectors. Kletzer is praised for his “timely, practical, and business-oriented advice, underpinned by a thorough grasp of both local and international trademark law”. Messner, dual-qualified in Austria and Italy, offers a rare cross-border perspective and is noted for how she “masters both M&A and trademark legal advice like no other”. Mosing rounds out the team with a comprehensive approach to IP, covering everything from licence agreements to infringement and cancellation proceedings, and is particularly active in the media, automotive, and beverages industries, where his tailored legal solutions consistently deliver results.

This Vienna boutique ranks among the market leaders in trademarks and unfair competition law whilst emerging as a dynamic challenger for the top position in patent litigation. The team stands out for its partner-led approach and highly integrated advice across IP, copyright, media, and data protection law, attracting both a loyal client base and steady flow of new business. Its litigation expertise is particularly noteworthy.

The firm has recently seen significant growth in supporting IP-intensive transactions. Another expanding practice area involves trademark, copyright and competition law advice for Hollywood productions in Austria. In trademark law, whilst the team maintains its strong reputation for active representation in proceedings, it has also expanded its strategic consulting and portfolio management services.

In patent law, the team consistently attracts new clients and ranks among Vienna’s most active practices. However, despite solid experience in life sciences and a growing client base, it does not feature in all major pharmaceutical proceedings like its competitor Gassauer-Fleissner. Although the team serves both domestic and international clients, it has yet to gain experience at the UPC. Nevertheless, it could secure UPC work if its local SME clients become involved in proceedings.

Strengths

Consistent focus on IP issues with partner-centric approach; infringement litigation concerning pharma patents.

Recommended individuals

Constantin Kletzer (“strong litigator”, competitor), Rainer Schultes (“client-oriented”, competitor)

The ‘ingenious partners’ at GEISTWERT act for clients hailing from the video game, streaming and social media sectors, assisting them with the protection of trade marks and copyrights and the licensing of software and protected images. The team, consisting of Constantin Kletzer, Juliane Messner, Max Mosing, Alexander Schnider and Rainer Schultes, is also tasked with the structuring of IT projects, including outsourcing, and handles data protection issues arising out of GDPR and international data transfers.

Testimonials

“We work with GEISTWERT on IP, IT and media transactions. They handle such matters perfectly, in my view better than any full-service firm because IP and technology-driven aspects are their core focus. We appreciate their partner-centred approach.“

‘Max Mosing is an exceptionally bright lawyer with a lot of academic knowledge. Juliane Messner is the transactional mastermind of the firm, with huge experience in IT-based transactions. Very strong!’

GEISTWERT‘s ’smart, pragmatic’ team acts for clients requiring assistance with the daily management of trademark and copyright portfolios across sectors ranging from food and beverages to electronics, carrying out registration assessments and overseeing licensing negotiations. On the contentious front, the practice pleads cases before the courts where trademark or copyright infringements are alleged and defends inventor’s remuneration claims brought by former employees. Comprising the team are copyright litigator Constantin Kletzer, IP transactions and licensing specialists Juliane Messner and Max Mosing, Alexander Schnider, who focuses on IP mandates in the gaming sector, and Rainer Schultes, who is the group’s patent litigation specialist.

Testimonials

“Constantin Kletzer: stellar IP lawyer (trademarks, patents, contracting, licensing etc.) with a lot of knowledge and creative solutions.

Max Mosing: fabulous trademark and IT lawyer. Surprising what he knows, but yet has a pragmatic approach.

Juliane Messner: the transactional mastermind of the firm.”

“I personally appreciate the expertise, the fast reactions and that their answers are always on point. The focus is always on our enterprise and our interests in an economical way. Additionally, they provide their ideas and thoughts proactively to support us with a high level of service.”

GEISTWERT’s data protection practice handles both contentious and non-contentious matters tied to GDPR, including those concerning international data transfers, while also advising clients on the data protection aspects of new customer portals, ensuring they meet the requisite standards under EU and Austrian law. The team, which consists of ‘phenomenal lawyer’ Juliane Messner, Max Mosing, Alexander Schnider, Rainer Schultes and Constantin Kletzer, acts for clients in regard to data processing and storage challenges and in conjunction with IT outsourcing and customer-facing projects. The practice is also able to advise clients in the event of a data breach, including handling the relevant liaisons with the Data Protection Authority and ensuing enforcement proceedings.

Testimonials

“In data privacy and data protection matters, GEISTWERT is the go-to firm in Austria. Depending on the project, several GEISTWERT partners work on one data protection project, which works extremely well and raises the result to the next level.”

“Juliane Messner is a phenomenal lawyer. She always manages to find the best solutions with ingenious ideas. Clients love her for it.“

GEISTWERT is top of the class for patent litigation in Austria. Although domestic and international clients in the life sciences account for most of the workload, the practice is also approached by leading figures in the electronics and mechanics fields. Recently Constantin Kletzer, Rainer Schultes and Alexander Schnider have been representing Teletan in an infringement case regarding the patented authentication system on its online payment authorisation platform. “Constantin is one of the best IP lawyers in Austria. He has an incredible knowledge of patent matters, and he is both fast and reliable.” “Rainer is direct, clever and always prepared”; and “Alexander delivers rock-solid advice in a very enjoyable and educational manner”. Completing the line-up, Juliane Messner and Max Mosing effortlessly handle complex contracts. Together they have been working with IPAG, a Universities Austria project in which Austrian universities and companies created a set of model agreements to assist the effective transfer of knowledge and technology. Austrian universities and businesses collaborate to create standard contracts, which are then evaluated and commented on by legal professionals.

The ‘knowledgeable and experienced’ team at GEISTWERT, consisting of Constantin Kletzer, Juliane Messner, Max Mosing and Rainer Schultes covers the full range of IP matters, assisting both national and international clients with the management of their portfolios and filings, while frequently acting in disputes concerning infringements, cancellation and opposition proceedings. The practice also routinely advises on the transfer of IP rights tied to transactions, including conducting due diligence checks. The firm maintains a broad client base, with the food and beverage and automotive sectors driving a significant percentage of the firm’s work, in addition to its strong niche in the video game industry.

Testimonials:

‘I have been working with Constantin Kletzer for many years. He is always attentive to clients’ needs and is able to find practical and efficient solutions, especially when cases are complex.’

‘GEISTWERT offers a fast service for all questions relating to IP, the orientation is customer-friendly and pragmatic and the skills of the lawyers are completely convincing.’

‘Constantin Kletzer has a pragmatic approach to given issues, works in a results-oriented manner and finds creative solutions that go outside the box.’

GEISTWERT‘s all-partner team, consisting of Constantin Kletzer, Juliane Messner, Max Mosing, Alexander Schnider and Rainer Schultes, assists TMT clients, including social media and streaming giants, on a spectrum of IT and IP matters, and maintains a particularly strong presence in Austria’s video game industry, where it advises clients on matters ranging from copyrights to NFTs. The team supports clients engaged in IT upgrade and outsourcing projects and is also tasked with supporting transactions in the TMT market.

GEISTWERT‘s partner-only practice provides ‘extremely fast and efficient advice’ at the intersection of data protection and IP, handling international data transfers, IT projects and data protection aspects of corporate transactions. The team, consisting of Constantin Kletzer, Juliane Messner, Max Mosing, Alexander Schnider and Rainer Schultes, also acts for clients facing hearings before the Austrian data protection authority and the courts, assisting with issues concerning user data disclosure requests and GDPR matters. The firm’s client base is comprised of companies ranging from digital media and pharmaceuticals to leisure and public bodies, whom it also advises on digital projects and initiatives including the launch of new customer programmes and services.

Testimonials:

Excellent market knowledge of the sectors that are important to us, such as EdTech, IP law, pharmaceutical law, corporate law bundled in one law firm, solving problems in a client-oriented manner and providing extremely fast and efficient advice.’

‘Juliane Messner has the best knowledge of corporate law. So important for us because we are internationally established. Max Mosing provides us with solution-oriented support in the volatile environment of data protection law. Rainer Schultes is our trusted pharmaceutical law specialist.’

‘Juliane Messner and Max Mosing are hands-on, knowledgeable and understand the business of their clients. They are stand-out lawyers in the market and always give clients the feeling that their matters are in good hands.’

“GEISTWERT’s service is always of excellent quality. All five partners not only have extremely deep knowledge of the specific fields they practice in but are also hands on and collaborative in a way that only benefits the client.” Alexander Schnider has a real entrepreneurial spirit and provides complete protection to gaming and media patrons. Alongside Rainer Schultes and Max Mosing, he has been advising Novomatic on all Austrian and EUIPO trademark matters. Schultes frequently emerges victorious from many skirmishes, while complex transactional instructions are bread and butter to Mosing. He works closely with Juliane Messner, and the duo receive warm plaudits from patrons: “Juliane and Max tailor their advice to the specific recommendations of our company and, due to their expertise, implement solutions that are highly customised and above all pragmatic. They always do an exceptional job and, on top of that, they are a pleasure to work with.” “When it comes to complex trademark litigation, Constantin Kletzer is the go-to attorney in Austria. He is a bright and deeply experienced lawyer with a keen sense for strategic solutions.”