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  • Dr. Natalie Kirchhofer

Dr. Regina Hock is the new President of the Federal Patent Court

Düsseldorf, May 5, 2021 – The Federal Patent Court (BPatG) has a new President: Dr. Regina Hock was inaugurated into office on April 30, 2021 by Federal Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht and State Secretary Dr. Margaretha Sudhof. She succeeds Beate Schmidt, who headed the Federal Patent Court for ten years. Due to the pandemic, the transfer of office took place virtually and with only a small group in attendance.

Dr. Regina Hock headed the Directorate General “Law” from January 2011 and, from October 2012, the Directorate General 4 “Administration and Law” at the German Patent and Trademark Office. From 2000 to 2010, she worked at the Federal Patent Court as a trademark law judge, as judge in a Technical Appeals Senate, and as the head of what was then the Division for Public Relations and International Affairs. Before that, she was a judge and public prosecutor as well as Head of Public Relations in the Bavarian State Chancellery.

In Cohausz & Florack’s (C&F) opinion, the 58-year-old thus brings a high level of expertise and experience to her new role. The firm also welcomes the fact that with Dr. Regina Hock another distinguished woman assumes the presidency of such an important federal court. “Along with Cornelia Rudloff-Schäffer, President of the German Patent and Trademark Office, the dual female leadership of these two key German patent institutions remains”, says Dr. Natalie Kirchhofer, patent attorney and partner at C&F. In C&F’s opinion, the future challenges facing the Federal Patent Court include increasing the number of judges to reduce the length of the proceedings, especially in the nullity senates, structural reforms of the senate organization, and accelerating first-instance nullity proceedings, as provided for by the German federal government in its planned second law on the simplification and modernization of patent law (PatRModG). “We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Dr. Regina Hock on her presidency and wish her every success in her challenging new role,” Kirchhofer continued.

 

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