Dr. Simon Holzer
Partner, Zurich
Schiffbaustrasse 2 | P.O. Box | CH-8031 Zurich | Switzerland
Schiffbaustrasse 2 | P.O. Box | CH-8031 Zurich | Switzerland
T +41 58 552 03 20
simon.holzer@mll-legal.com
T +41 58 552 03 20
simon.holzer@mll-legal.com
Profile
Simon Holzer is a member of MLL Legal’s IP team, which is consistently ranked as one of the top Swiss IP teams by peers and clients, and heads the firm’s Patent and Life Sciences team. He has extensive experience in all areas of IP law, with a focus on patents, trademarks, geographical indications and unfair competition. Simon Holzer is also a trusted advisor in the field of pharmaceutical regulatory law and competition law.
Simon Holzer possesses extensive experience across a wide range of industries and technologies, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, telecommunications (including Standard-Essential Patents and FRAND cases), software, cosmetics and foodstuffs.
In 2010 the Swiss Parliament appointed Simon Holzer as an adjunct judge of the Swiss Federal Patent Court. This court has jurisdiction over patent disputes throughout Switzerland.
In addition to his work as a lawyer and part-time judge, Simon Holzer holds a teaching assignment for intellectual property law at the University of Zurich.
Simon Holzer is praised by clients and peers as a “skilled and driven individual” and “a leader in the contentious sphere” who is “top-ranked by peers” within the “excellent” and “high-flying” IP team of MLL Legal. According to clients, Simon Holzer is particularly well versed in the areas of patents and pharma and clients highlight his “in-depth technical understanding”. Other sources describe Simon Holzer as a “key life sciences expert” and a “superstar in patent litigation” as well as a “pleasure to work with”.
Practice Areas
Rankings & Awards
- “Simon Holzer is one of the leading Swiss IP/patents practitioners. He is always calm and measured, and very responsive when needed. He is very easy to work with and he provides excellent legal and commercial advice. I would highly recommend him. Louisa Galbraith is a rising star”– Legal 500 EMEA, Healthcare and Life Sciences, 2024
- “The team around Simon Holzer is one of the best to advise on patent matters in Switzerland, especially in the life sciences field. Ulrike Ciesla and Kilian Schärli are also outstanding. They are always great to work with in pan-European litigation projects” – Legal 500 EMEA, Healthcare and Life Sciences, 2024
- “Well-rounded practitioner Simon Holzer is a highly strategic thinker who handles major prosecution projects with a deft touch and has a talent for crafting bullet-proof arguments in opposition proceedings as well as in the courtroom” – World Trademark Review 1000, 2024
- “Simon Holzer is simply excellent. Seamless cooperation, technical excellence, a strategic approach and being great to work with are just a few of the great characteristics of Holzer. A creative legal mind, he is happy to think about new strategies and adjust his work, even under time constraints” – IAM Patent 1000, 2023
- “Mr. Simon Holzer is a gifted lawyer for litigation in the field of intellectual property. In addition to his comprehensive and above-average professional knowledge, he has a great deal of experience in his field. He knows how to win cases in favor of his clients through creativity and unconventional ideas. His pleadings are an exceptionally good mixture of thoughtful technical presentation as well as subliminally aggressive style, which convince the court. Last but not least, he knows how to gather a young and dedicated team around him, which is hungry to win cases” – Legal 500 EMEA, Intellectual Property, 2023
- “Impressed by Simon Holzer’s knowledge in the field of Swiss regulatory law as well as regulatory law in general. He was extremely responsive and diligent in his work and very nice to communicate with. Whenever I will have a question related to Swiss regulatory law, I will first reach out to him” – Legal 500 EMEA, Intellectual Property, 2023
- “Simon Holzer – a great strategist and tactician. He communicates effectively and precisely. Unflappable under pressure. Very sound advice taking into account practical implications and commercial imperatives” – Legal 500 EMEA, Healthcare and Life Sciences, 2023
- “Simon Holzer is a first-rate lawyer with very strong technical and interpersonal skills” – Legal 500 EMEA, Healthcare and Life Sciences, 2023
- “He is one of the top patent litigators in Switzerland. He’s fantastic and I would recommend him to anybody” – Chambers and Partners Europe, Life Sciences: Patent Litigation, 2023
- “He is a very reliable and great team player. His pleading in court was very focused and very impressive” – Chambers and Partners Europe, Life Sciences: Patent Litigation, 2023
- “He is very accessible, commercial and pragmatic” – Chambers and Partners Europe, Life Sciences: Patent Litigation, 2023
- “He was very responsive, and the advice was provided in a very timely manner” – Chambers and Partners Europe, IP, 2023
- “Simon is unbelievably client-oriented and a friendly, reliable professional, who is very prompt in his responses. He thinks outside the box and has exceptionally strong analytical and strategic skills” – World Trademark Review 1000, 2023
- “Simon is an excellent litigator with a good knowledge of the pharmaceutical sector” – Chambers and Partners, Patent Litigation, 2022
- Simon Holzer is widely endorsed as “one of the best and biggest names in the field”, with sources adding, “He is a brilliant patent lawyer” – Who’s Who Legal, National Leader Patents, 2022
- “Simon Holzer is a go-to IP practitioner in the Swiss market, who excels at advising life sciences clients in complex trademark matters” – Who’s Who Legal, National Leader Life Sciences, 2022
- “Simon Holzer is a brilliant legal mind and an absolute pleasure to work with. Very experienced practitioner whom we trust wholly” – Legal 500 EMEA, Healthcare and Life Sciences, 2022
- The “brilliant” Simon Holzer ranks highly among peers who herald him as “one of the best” in patent litigation spanning standard-essential patents and FRAND disputes – Who’s Who Legal, Global Leader Patents, 2022
- “Simon Holzer is highly sought after by clients from the life sciences and telecoms sector thanks to his profound expertise in international IP law” – Who’s Who Legal, Thought Leader Global Elite Patents, 2022
- “Simon Holzer is an impressive practitioner who comes highly recommended by peers for his outstanding work in complex trademark and patent law issues” – Who’s Who Legal, Global Leader Trademarks, 2022
- “Simon Holzer is a really impressive lawyer who leads an excellent team (Louisa Galbraith and others) and has consistently delivered outstanding results. He is highly skilled and experienced and immediately gives the impression that the case is in good hands. He is enthusiastic and quick to get up to speed with the details of the case. He delivers clear, concise and commercial advice and has always been a pleasure to work with” – Legal 500 EMEA, Healthcare and Life Sciences, 2022
- “Immensely experienced, knowledgeable and pragmatic, Simon always works really hard, stays calm under pressure and produces excellent results” – IAM Patent 1000, 2022
- “Simon Holzer is really skilled, but also friendly and professional, and goes out of his way to satisfy clients’ needs” – World Trademark Review 1000, 2021
- Simon Holzer consistently produces “excellent patents work” and is widely regarded as a leading figure in the Swiss life sciences sector – Who’s Who Legal, Thought Leader Life Sciences, 2021
- “Simon Holzer is an excellent lawyer for complex litigation and contract matters. Able to give very well thought out, pragmatic and focused advice on complex patent / trade mark / geographical indications matters” – Legal 500 EMEA, Intellectual Property, 2021
Deals & Cases
- Successfully represented Cocoa Luxury, a Swiss chocolate company based in Zug, in PI proceedings against Kraft Foods’ 3D TOBLERONE trademark and claims under the Unfair Competition Act
- Successfully represented Lipomed AG and Lipomed GmbH in patent opposition proceedings before the Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office and coordinating international patent litigation concerning the clients’ deferiprone business
- Advised Shinsegae International, South-Korea, in its acquisition of a group of Swiss based companies active in the luxury cosmetic industry
- Successfully enforced Gilead’s SPC for the combination of emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxile in groundbreaking litigation before the Swiss Federal Patent Court and the Federal Supreme Court
- Represented the U.S. owner of several standard essential patents in two parallel patent litigation proceedings before the Federal Patent Court and in FRAND negotiations
Education & Admission
- Admitted to the bar in Switzerland (2005)
- University of Berne, Dr. iur. (2004)
- University of Berne, lic. iur. (1998)
Memberships and public offices
- European Patent Lawyers Association (EPLAW)
- Licensing Executives Society (LES)
- International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI)
- Swiss Association for Intellectual Property Law (INGRES)
- Zurich Bar Association (ZAV)
- IP Practice group of Zurich Bar Association
- IP Practice group of Berne Bar Association
Languages
- German
- English
- French
Publications
Assistant
Publications
News Portal
Firm News
“Mr. Simon Holzer is a gifted lawyer for litigation in the field of intellectual property. In addition to his comprehensive and above-average professional knowledge, he has a great deal of experience in his field. He knows how to win cases in favor of his clients through creativity and unconventional ideas. His pleadings are an exceptionally good mixture of thoughtful technical presentation as well as subliminally aggressive style, which convince the court. Last but not least, he knows how to gather a young and dedicated team around him, which is hungry to win cases”
