Your White-IP team

Dr. Leopold Gruner
My name is Leopold Gruner. I am German and European Patent Attorney and founder of White IP.
I advise individuals and companies internationally on Patent Law, Trademark Law and Design Law as well as on utility models and the employee invention system. In addition to individual inventors, I also represent large corporations at international level, including in patent disputes, in the valuation of patent portfolios and on industrial property rights in the course of company takeovers. My main area of work relates to inventions and ideas from the fields of chemistry, pharmaceuticals, biology, life science and medical devices. I can use my knowledge as a qualified chemist with a doctorate degree which I obtained from the Institute of Genetics at the Technical University of Dresden.
When accompanying my clients and evaluating industrial property rights such as patents, trademarks and designs, I place particular emphasis on a transparent cost structure and comprehensive advice, from finding ideas to the sustainable protection of registered patents and trademarks. This does not only include the registration of patents, trademarks, utility models, designs and employee inventions, but also the preparatory GPTO trademark search and patent search. I also represent your interests before the competent court in the event of a patent dispute or a trademark infringement.
My patent law firm in Dresden represents a clear philosophy based on transparency and a full-service concept for start-up advice, SME advice and inventor advice. This is rounded off by the knowledge and contacts from my interdisciplinary network.
I am the author of various specialist articles on patent law, co-author of the specialist book “Procedural Practice EPC and PCT” and run the website GG IP – Platform for Intellectual Property Law. In addition, I also give seminars to prepare for the European Qualifying Examination as an approved European representative.
Focus on: Patent Law, Chemistry, Pharma, Biotech/Life Sciences, Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs), Utility Models, Trademarks, Designs, Employee Invention Systems, Contracts and Licensing
Sebastian Mähler
My name is Sebastian Mähler, I am a graduate economist and founder and managing director of White IP Business Solutions GmbH.
I advise and support international inventors, entrepreneurs and companies in the exploitation of their innovations and business ideas.
After my studies of economics, with a focus on management & marketing and business informatics, I worked as a freelance consultant for various companies and as an employed sales manager.
When advising my clients in the areas of financing, market potentials or business exploitation, I attach particular importance to a practice-oriented support, which is goal-oriented and comprehensible. My clients benefit from my practical and entrepreneurial experience, which I have gained through the co-founding of three companies from different areas.
Together with the patent law firm we stand for a transparent, goal-oriented and all-encompassing support of our clients. Thus, you benefit from a legal and a business perspective and support that is designed for sustainability.
Focus on: Financing, Market potentials, Commercial exploitation


Fabian Kölbl
My name is Fabian Kölbl. I studied law and economics and advise clients nationally and internationally in the fields of intellectual property and contract management.
In my position as head of the legal department, I mainly accompany and coordinate litigation, (extra-)judicial proceedings such as official opposition, nullity and infringement proceedings.
Furthermore, I advise our clients in the process of trademark and design applications and support our clients with words and deeds according to their wishes.
I am particularly enthusiastic about the areas of litigation and commercial and competition law issues due to my interdisciplinarity and the focus of my studies.
My clients benefit from my practical experience with medium-sized companies as well as corporate groups, which I have gained through the technical, economic as well as legal sectors and companies from various fields.
Through the joint expertise within the collaboration of White IP, we offer a holistic and sustainable added value for our clients and master together with our clients our projects from a business and legal point of view.
Focus on: Contract Management, Trademarks
Johanna Engelke
I am Johanna Engelke and I will complete my binational PhD in chemistry in April 2021.
During my PhD, I conducted research in international cooperation at the renowned educational institutions of Queensland University of Technology (QUT, Australia) as well as the Technical University of Dresden (Germany) and the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research (IPF) in Dresden.
Already during my chemistry studies I acquired and constantly cultivated a profound and certified knowledge in the field of “Intellectual Property Rights”.
During my studies I focused on the diverse and application-oriented discipline of polymer science. My bachelor thesis aimed at the improvement of tailored properties of nanotransport systems (drug delivery systems), while in my master thesis I contributed significantly to the molecular transformations of cell mimetics (here: polymersomes) by light-driven activation of biological processes. In my PhD thesis, I developed expertise in synthesis and state-of-the-art analytics of organic nanomaterials to master structure elucidation to synthetic protein analogues.
Since March 2019, I have been supporting White IP – Patent Law Firm as a science-oriented candidate for patent attorney. My main interests in patent law education are chemistry, pharmaceuticals, polymer chemistry, (patho)biochemistry, metabolism and biotoxicology.
I see my potential in the White-IP group in providing competent advice to clients in the combination of life sciences, chemistry and IP law.
In the fresh and interdisciplinary team of White-IP, I am constantly learning more about the bridges between science and IP management to manage intellectual property in a commercially fair and innovative way.
Focus on: Chemistry, Pharma, Biotech/Life Sciences, Trademarks


Franziska Badel
I am Franziska Badel, I studied transport economics and work as a consultant at White IP Business Solutions GmbH.
Through a number of different projects in the field of market potential analysis, tool selection, strategy development and training, my consulting focus is on project management, innovation, strategy, business development and market trends.
As a qualified trainer, I additionally concentrate on the successful implementation of trainings and workshops. Due to my specialisation in training design, I am able to conduct targeted workshops and create added value in these with my training participants.
In cooperation with the patent law firm, we encourage innovation and inventive talent in our training courses and ensure that patent applications are filed in a sensible manner from a business perspective.
Focus on: Trademarks, Corporate Development, Strategy Consulting, Training Design, Market Potential Analyses
Anne Heller
I am Anne Heller, a graduate in business administration and complement the team of White IP Busi-ness Solutions GmbH as a specialist for management systems.
As a QM consultant, I have been supporting companies since 2017 in the introduction and implementation of management systems in various industries (including research institutions and educational service providers) and characteristics (e.g. QM systems according to DIN EN ISO 9001).
As it is becoming increasingly important to develop and protect new business models due to the digital transformation, I design contemporary intellectual property management systems according to DIN 77006 in cooperation with the White IP patent law firm.
In doing so, we focus on a customer- and competition-oriented alignment of corporate and IP strategy in order to meet the radical rethinking in dealing with intellectual property. We design and optimize IP processes that follow the systematic PDCA approach (Plan-Do-Check-Act) familiar from quality management.
Focus on: Management systems, Certifications


Tobias Kirchhoff
My name is Tobias Kirchhoff, I have a degree in economics and I complement the team of White IP Business Solutions GmbH as a consultant.
The focus of my studies was on Accounting and Finance as well as Financial Economics and Global Markets. These taught me to understand central tasks of business management, which include managing financial flows and dealing with accounting issues. In addition, knowledge of the peculiarities of global (financial) markets and international trade as well as the economic consequences for each individual company are of central importance.
As a consultant, I assist our clients in the areas of business development, market potential analysis, financing and capital raising. An in-depth financial planning and profitability analysis with the business model is the basis for any capital procurement and serves a successful business planning.
Focus on: Financing, Market potential analyses
Lisa Wiltzsch
My name is Lisa Wiltzsch. I am a patent paralegal and foreign language correspondent. Since January 2020, I have been supporting the team of White IP as a patent paralegal and do the office management.
After my training as a Certified Foreign Language Correspondent for the languages English, French and Spanish, I gained five years of professional experience in a patent law firm where I worked as a patent paralegal and the administrative management of the U.S. department.
In my position as a patent paralegal, I am responsible for the formal correspondence in connection with the filing and examination procedures as well as opposition and appeal proceedings of patent and trademark applications before the GPTO, EPO and the USPTO. Furthermore, I take care of the formal correspondence with clients and our national and international colleagues.
Focus on: Back Office, Communication
