Team

women in ip e.V. is represented by a board and supported by a board of trustees.

Board

The honorary board of women in ip e.V. currently consists of five freelance or industrial patent attorneys and attorneys at law, who are elected by the members for a period of 3 years. The board plans and organizes the realization of the aims of the association. For this purpose, our association offers the members a platform for the organization of seminars, that are designed as specialized trainings and for personal advancement as well as for the discussion of vocational and technical questions.

Board

Dr. Claudia Schwarz

Dr. Claudia Schwarz is spokeswoman of the board of women in ip e.V. and was one of the initiators of this network.

She studied computer science with a minor in medical technology at the Technical University of Munich followed by the subsequent doctorate and specialisation in the field of artificial intelligence. She has been working in the IP field for more 30 years. She is founding partner of the patent law firm Schwarz + Kollegen, which specializes in the protection of software and digital patents.

She is the author of a specialist book in German and English language (published in 2017 by Heymanns) and various articles on the topic “Patents for Software”. She is also frequently invited to expert conferences and lectures in this field. Claudia Schwarz has been a lecturer for “IP and IT” at the LMU in Munich for many years. She prefers to spend her free time together with her family and her dog in the mountains climbing or going on alpine tours in summer and doing ski trips in winter. She is married and has a son.

Dr. Claudia Schwarz

Board

Dr. Andrea Zehetner

Deputy Speaker of the Executive Board and founding member of women in ip e.V., is a patent attorney and is founder of Zehetner Patentanwälte having its seat in Aachen.

A current focus of interest is how digitization influences economy and research. She gives lectures on the topic of IP strategy at RWTH Business School and Maastricht School of Management (MSM).

She studied chemistry and received her doctorate in biology from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. Women in ip has accompanied her since its formation in 2011 and she has been a member of the board since 2016, as well as being involved with Rotary and the innovation network Katerva. She’s married.

Dr. Andrea Zehetner

Board

Petra Donath

Coming Soon

Petra Donath

Board

Dr. Claudia Ritter

Coming Soon

Dr. Claudia Ritter

Board

Miriam Kiefer

Miriam Kiefer studied law in Freiburg, Montpellier (France) and Munich. After completing her second state examination, she obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) at the Centre for Intellectual Property Law of the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf. She is also a specialist in intellectual property law.

Miriam Kiefer began her legal career in 2006 at the Düsseldorf office of a national, supraregional law firm specializing in intellectual property law. In 2012 she became a partner of the firm. On 01.01.2016, together with 4 other partners, she founded the law firm Kather Augenstein, a boutique specialising in litigious IP matters. Miriam Kiefer has been Managing Partner of Kather Augenstein since the beginning of 2019. Her work focuses on national and international patent infringement disputes. In addition to her work for clients, she regularly gives lectures on patent law topics.

When she is not dealing with patent law and the tasks of the firm, Miriam Kiefer devotes herself to her family – she is married and has a son and a daughter.

Miriam Kiefer

Responsibilities of the various departments

Spokeswoman of the board: Claudia Schwarz

Seminars: NN
Website/Social Media: NN
Finances: Andrea Zehetner
Staff: NN

Mentoring: Petra Donath
External communication/presence: NN
Sponsoring: NN
Members/Board of Trustees/Supporting members: NN

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees of women in ip e.V. supports and advises the board in its activities and is involved in important decisions. The members of the Board of Trustees are a number of outstanding ladies from the industry or teaching, active or retired members of the Federal Patent Court and the German Patent and Trade Mark Office as well as other ladies in leading positions in the field of intellectual property law.

Board of Trustees

Cornelia Rudloff-Schaeffer

President of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, Head of the German Delegation to the Administrative Council of the European Patent Office

“I value women in ip as an excellent network for informal exchange with both young professionals and experienced specialists in all fields of intellectual property law. The dialogue with open-minded, well-qualified women, the conferences and international forums on current issues of intellectual property, innovation strategies and protection, as well as the seminars on career-oriented personality development and the mentoring programme time and again exceed expectations and are unique and very inspiring in their diversity.”

Cornelia
Rudloff-Schaeffer

Board of Trustees

Beate Schmidt

President of the Federal Patent Court, Judge and State attorney

“It is a great honor to support the work of the very active women in the network of women in ip as a member of the board of trustees – and the best part is that it is always a lot of fun!“

Beate Schmidt

Board of Trustees

Dr. Ursula Kinkeldey

Founding member and former board member of women in ip, chairman of the Board of Appeal and permanent member of the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (retired), patent attorney

“Always stay tuned, don’t get tired, use the women in ip podium for the benefit of all women in ip!”

Dr. Ursula Kinkeldey

Board of Trustees

Dr. Beate Avenhaus

Head of the IP Department of the Brose Group, Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney

“Through my commitment to women in ip, I can pass on my experience and, for example, accompany and support young patent attorneys on their career path as part of the mentoring program. Furthermore, the exchange with colleagues from the various areas of our industry is very valuable to me.”

Dr. Beate Avenhaus

Board of Trustees

Kerstin Single

Head of the IP department of Festo AG & Co. KG, Europe

“Why do I support women in ip? It is important to me to encourage women especially in technical professions and male-dominated companies and to promote the exchange of experiences among each other in an open communication. For this reason, I am always available as a mentor, especially for career starters.”

Kerstin Single

Board of Trustees

Dr. Brigitte Böhm, LL.M.

Partner with WEICKMANN & WEICKMANN, Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney

“I think a professional network especially for women working in the field of industrial property protection is great. I would have liked such an opportunity for exchange between colleagues with similar interests and problems to have existed at the time I started my career. I am all the more pleased to be able to support women in ip now.”

Dr. Brigitte Böhm, LL.M.

Board of Trustees

Dr. Birgit Rabanus

Head of the Patent Department of DSM Nutritional Products, European Patent Attorney

“Supporting women in ip is a matter of course for me, so that women working in the field of intellectual property rights can find, support and learn from each other more easily.”

Dr. Birgit Rabanus

Board of Trustees

Sonja Klinger

Patent Attorney, Member of the VPP Executive Committee

“As a member of the board of trustees, I would like to advise the board whenever needed, exchange experiences with the other members and promote networks and communication between the members.”

Sonja Klinger

Board of Trustees

Dr. Ariane Mittenberger-Huber

Presiding Judge at the Federal Patent Court

Dr. Ariane Mittenberger-Huber

Board of Trustees

Dr. Doris Thums

Head of department, Opposition and Substantive Patent Law in directorate Patent Law, EPO

“women in ip is, like a diamond, the product of a long development, multifaceted and always up-to-date. To be able to contribute to this is an honor and an exciting task that I am looking forward to.”

Dr. Doris Thums

Board of Trustees

Ulrike Voß

Presiding judge at the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court

“Let us help shape the future. As experienced, successful and therefore influential women, we have to seize the opportunity for change and also take our responsibility for the generations of young women who will follow us. I want to shape and develop this great professional field of activity and deepen our contacts so that we can support one another, learn from one another and inspire even more women to learn about the exciting facets of industrial property protection.”

Ulrike Voß

Board of Trustees

Andrea Klug

President of the Technical University Amberg Weiden

“I get important impulses from the women in ip network for the higher education sector and academic training in the patent system and I am looking forward to more and more young women who are finding their way into this exciting professional field. About the network and the exchange at women in ip this positive development is supported significantly! ”

Andrea Klug

Board of Trustees

Gabriele Mohsler

Former board member of women in ip, is head of the patent department at Ericsson.

“Women in ip provides an excellent platform for networking among women with different professional experiences. Here, the mentoring is particularly noteworthy, where I have had the privilege of being a mentor on a regular basis. The forums and wednesday for women also offer a view beyond the end of one’s nose, in addition to professional development, which I really appreciate.”