An energetic, passionate and pragmatic lawyer specialized in Intellectual Property
Mark Van Gardingen
Lawyer Mark van Gardingen is one of the funding partners of Brinkhof, a leading firm with a strong focus on innovation, technology and intangible assets, like brands, goodwill and information. He specializes in complex pan-European patent litigation and strategic advice. In 2022, Brinkhof has entered into an exclusive UPC Litigation cooperation with the renowned German based patent firm Vossius: Vossius & Brinkhof, UPC Litigators.
Mark’s pre-university sciences education combined with a master’s degree in patent & IP law (Utrecht University) enables him to quickly grasp any sort of technology (electronics, (bio-)chemistry, mechanical engineering, etc.), and turn that into legal opportunities. Mark’s style is personal and energetic, passionate, pragmatic and always focused on the “end game”.
He is actively involved in shaping Europe’s patent law future, particularly in view of the upcoming changes with the introduction of ‘Unitary Patents’ and the ‘Unified Patent Court’ (UPC). Mark is Board Member of EPLAW (with an approved observation status of the Administrative Committee of the UPC), Board Member of the International Standing UPC Committee of AIPPI, Member of the IP Advisory Committee of the Dutch Bar Association, and Member of the “Committee of Eight” advising the Dutch government on patent law developments. Mark is also active as a ‘mock trial lawyer’ in the EPO’s training program for (candidate) UPC judges.
Among the multi-jurisdictional patent cases he has been involved in are: advising and representing Heineken in a global patent dispute against ABI, representing The Dow Chemical Company in litigation about misappropriation of trade secrets, acting for various international telecom companies in patent disputes about Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) and FRAND issues or representing Johnson&Johnson in patent litigation against Abbvie about anti-psoriasis antibodies.
Various international practitioners guides (Legal500, Chambers, JUVE, IAM1000, Who’s Who) previously regarded Mark as a leading/Tier 1 European patent law specialist, and have recommended him for being among the “Most Highly Regarded Individuals in Europe for patent litigation”, as well as for his “practical understanding of legal procedures and his litigation skills –‘he visualizes the big picture and has a willingness to liaise with all parties’”.
Mark regularly writes articles on patent law in international journals and is a regular speaker at leading international conferences.
