Michael FRÖHLICH is the Director of Patent Developments and IP Lab at the European Patent Office. He is a fully qualified German lawyer with a post-graduate degree and a Ph.D. in intellectual property.
Serving in increasingly responsible positions in the IP area since over twenty-five years, he leads a team of lawyers and paralegals responsible for developing policy orientations and solutions to shape the international and European legal framework in the field of patents and related areas of law and practice, including the development of legal policy in relation to the Unitary Patent, new emerging technologies and patent law trends, the fostering of work sharing, or the harmonisation of patent law and practices.
Prior to joining the EPO, Michael was Senior Director, EU IP & Strategy at BlackBerry, where he was responsible for the company’s IP affairs in Europe and for managing a range of global strategic matters relating to standard-setting initiatives, patent licensing, and litigation. Previously, was Senior Legal Counsel at Nokia, where he helped define Nokia’s patent and standards position. He was also Head of Legal Affairs at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), where he shaped ETSI's IPR Policy. Prior to joining ETSI, Michael practiced law at Preu Bohlig & Partner in the fields of contentious and pre-contentious IP matters, with a particular focus on patent litigation. He also has work experience in Brazil, where he worked for Dannemann Siemsen Advogados.
Michael has served for many years as the Chairman of the AIPPI Committee on Patents & Standards, as well as the Vice-Chairman of the GSMA IPR Working Group and Vice-Chairman of the LES Publication Committee.