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Swiss Parliament elects Homburger partner Andri Hess as associate judge at the Swiss Federal Patent Court

On 27 September 2017, Swiss Parliament elected Andri Hess to the position of associate judge at the Swiss Federal Patent Court. The Patent Court in St. Gallen is the Swiss special court of first instance for civil-law disputes concerning patents, specifically in regard to actions for infringement and validity. The Patent Court consists of two permanent judges and a number of associate (part-time) judges, all of whom are trained in legal or technical matters. The judges must have proven knowledge in the field of patent law in order to be able to deal with the many different issues that arise at the interface between technology and the law. Andri Hess joined Homburger in 1999, following his studies at ETH Zurich and Zurich University, and has been a partner since 2009. He advises clients in all matters relating to intellectual property law, with a special focus on patent law. He has extensive experience in representing clients in patent and other intellectual property law proceedings in different technical areas and in an international context, particularly before the Federal Patent Court but also before other national courts and arbitral tribunals. Next to his duties as an associate judge, Andri Hess will continue advising clients in his area of expertise.

Daniel Daeniker, Managing Partner, said: “It is a Homburger tradition for attorneys to devote part of their time to higher education, courts, the political process or civil society. We congratulate Andri Hess on his election, and we are delighted that he will be able to bring his extensive experience in patent law to bear as an associate judge sitting at the Swiss Federal Patent Court.”