Sandart is a business law firm with expertise primarily in litigation and intellectual property law. We also provide advice and represent our clients in contract negotiations, marketing law matters and regulatory matters.
The firm’s strength lies in our combined legal expertise and vast experience but also our constant dedication to fully understand the business opportunities and challenges that our clients are faced with.
For many years, Sandart has been highly ranked by several international law guides, including: Chambers and Partners , Legal 500 , IP Stars (Managing IP), IAM Patent 1000 and WTR 1000.
Intellectual Property
For more than half a century, Sandart has successfully assisted clients in intellectual property issues. We work in all fields of intellectual property: patents, copyright, designs, trade marks and company names.
Our experience in intellectual property disputes is both broad and deep, and dates far back in time. In addition, we have extensive knowledge and experience of dealing with contracts regarding intellectual property. Therefore, we are constantly ranked among Sweden’s leading law firms within this discipline. Our successful recruitment strategy and our employees’ active role in intellectual property associations, legislative committees and the academy ensure that we will maintain this position also in the future.
Our clients within intellectual property matters are mainly large and medium-sized companies, especially in the fields of medicine, biotechnology, telecommunications and other high-end technology. We also represent rightsholders within music, art, and text. In relation to our trade mark practice, our clients are companies of all sizes who want to protect their trade marks, domain names and other signs, or who need to be protected against infringement claims.
Read more about intellectual property
Patents
Sandart is continuously ranked as one of Sweden’s leading law firms in patent law. We have extensive experience in patent litigation.
Our clients are mainly large and medium European, American and Asian companies from different high-technology fields such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, telecommunications, the automotive industry etc.. Several of the companies we represent are world leaders in their respective areas. We are engaged to protect the companies’ most valuable assets in the form of inventions. We also assist our clients in defending themselves against allegations of patent infringement, and by providing advice in ownership, strategic and regulatory matters. Furthermore, we possess expert knowledge in competition law issues relating to patents, e.g. in relation to the application of industry specific standards.
Our patent law specialists have many years of experience of extensive Swedish and pan-European patent disputes. Through a well-established network of patent engineers we have the benefit of being able to successfully assist in legal proceedings relating to all complex technologies.
We pride ourselves of having been entrusted with the task of representing clients in all Swedish court cases that have involved standard essential patents and competition law aspects concerning FRAND licensing.
We are repeatedly entrusted with the task of co-ordinating the work in litigations where several cases simultaneously are pending in different jurisdictions. Our long history of co-operating with foreign law firm enables us to assist in ensuring that that the client receives first class representation in all countries where the case is being litigated.
Our UPC Team: Sandart has since many years actively followed the development of the UPC system and our specialist have on several occasions given speeches and held seminars on different aspects of the new system. We were therefore very excited when we were part of the filing the very first case at the Nordic Baltic Regional Division, the only UPC where English is the sole language of the proceedings, on the day the UPC started up. Since then, our UPC Team – which includes a significant number of registered UPC representatives – has been entrusted with representing clients in the majority of all cases that have been filed with the Nordic Baltic Regional Chamber. We also had the privilege of participating as counsel in one of the first oral hearings that were held at the UPC Court of Appeal. By being intensely involved in UPC litigations we have come to possess deep knowledge on the procedure. We are confident that our cutting-edge knowledge gives our clients an advantage in the UPC litigations where we are involved.
Our ambition is to be the first choice in Sweden for innovative companies seeking the best possible counsel and advice in complex patent litigations before Swedish national courts as well as in the UPC.
Trademarks
We are specialists in the laws relating to trademarks and company names. Sandart is ranked as one of the leading law firms in Sweden in this field of law in several international lawyer guides.
Trademarks and company names are among the most valuable assets of many companies. Trademarks can be protected by registration in Sweden and the European Union. Under Swedish law, the legal protection of company names corresponds to the legal protection of trademarks in many respects. It is common for a dispute to involve both trademarks and company names, as well as the cross-protection between them. Trademark and company name disputes may also involve domain names for websites.
Sandart has successfully represented clients in trademark and company name disputes in many lawsuits. We act as representatives before Swedish courts, the Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the Tribunal and the EU Court of Justice. In addition, we draft agreements relating to trademarks, company names and domain names. We also participate in legislative work regarding trademarks and company names.
Copyright
We are experts in copyright and our firm is continuously ranked as leading in Sweden in the field.
Copyright is a complex and important area of law, especially in today’s information society and the rise of digitization and AI development. Copyright and related rights cover not only traditional works such as literature, music and design but are also relevant for software, apps, websites, databases, etc.
Sandart offers expert advice to protect and optimize your copyright assets. We assist in the exploitation and acquisition of rights and represent clients in court in all kinds of copyright matters.
Sandart has for several decades been involved in driving legal development forward. We have acted as counsel in some of the most high-profile copyright trials in Sweden and have represented clients in complex copyright disputes before both the Supreme Court and the European Court of Justice.
We help identify protected works and assets, maximize protection opportunities, increase licensing revenue, protect against infringement and minimize legal risks. Our experts have in-depth knowledge of multiple forms of protection and, with our extensive experience, we work strategically with our clients to increase competitive advantage.
We negotiate and draft copyright agreements and are well versed in copyright law. Copyright law is special in that it contains specific rules, which are sometimes mandatory and in some cases are based on protecting the individual author. Our lawyers have a deep understanding of these rules and also other areas that often border on copyright, freedom of expression, competition law, consumer law and data protection rules.
We also offer litigation support and advice to avoid costly conflicts. If it is possible to find an out-of-court solution, we help to reach a settlement agreement. If this is not possible, we have extensive experience in copyright litigation. Sandart has acted as counsel in several high-profile court cases in this area.
Our clients are found in most creative and technical industries such as music, art, design, literature, IT, media and telecom. We assist both private and public actors and have particularly extensive expertise in collective societies and have also conducted cases and cases on the law on collective management of copyright.
We are often involved as experts and participate in legislative work in the field of copyright, for example in the implementation of the so-called Digital Services Market Directive (“DSM”) and are also regularly engaged as lecturers, including at the country’s universities. Our lawyers have also written several articles in the field, for example in country overviews of copyright and on certain copyright restrictions.
Our ambition is to be the first choice for clients who need cutting-edge expertise in copyright law for non-contentious advice and disputes.
Designs
Sandart provides expertise in design law.
Design – the appearance of products – can be protected through design registration (design right). In some cases, a product’s design can also be protected as applied art under copyright law.
As one of the leading law firms in this field, we have extensive experience in representing designers and companies in all matters relating to the protection of the appearance of products. We provide strategic advice, represent our clients in court proceedings and draft agreements relating to design rights.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Sandart is a law firm specialising in dispute resolution. We have extensive experience in handling complex commercial disputes in court and in national and international arbitrations.
We have a comprehensive expertise in the field and represent clients in commercial disputes across a wide range of industries and business sectors, including insurance, energy, industry, media, IT/tech, construction, infrastructure, M&A, financial services, distribution and transport.
Sandart represents clients in national and international arbitrations and have extensive experience from several major arbitral institutions, including SCC, ICC, VIAC, ICSID and LCIA as well as ad hoc proceedings. Several of our lawyers are also regularly appointed as arbitrators. The firm also has extensive experience in assisting clients in arbitration-related litigation, such as challenges of arbitral awards and enforcement proceedings.
Sandart also regularly represents clients in all types of commercial disputes in the general courts. The firm’s lawyers have represented clients in several high-profile cases and have acted as counsel in several cases before the Supreme Court.
We also represent clients in regulatory and administrative proceedings. The firm’s regulatory disputes team has a specific focus on the energy sector, where we regularly represent both Swedish and foreign energy companies and other actors in the energy sector before courts and other authorities. Our experience covers both traditional and renewable energy sources.
COMMERCIAL CONTRACTS
Providing advice prior to and in connection with business transactions requires experience and knowledge of the applicable field of business. Firmly rooted in the firm’s core fields of expertise, coupled with solid contract law expertise and a desire to always try to provide ‘business value’, we assist our clients in executing business transactions of various kinds.
Many of our clients are technology and innovation intensive companies and organizations that engage us for advice on agreements and exploitation decisions that require intellectual property considerations. Such considerations more or less always come into play when it comes to negotiating and entering into R&D, license, distribution and cooperation agreements as well in agreements relating to IT and telecom.
Similarly, we are often engaged by companies active in the media, advertising, computer games and entertainment industries for contractual matters and other advice, where the firm has built up extensive knowledge and experience over many years.
Contracts and commercial transactions often involve company law in one way or another, e.g., when a new company shall be established (e.g., to serve as an “IP HoldCo”), or new partners shall be admitted to an existing one. We assist our clients with advise on company law matters and in connection with shareholder agreements, share issues and option programs, not least in industries where intellectual property rights are in focus.
MARKETING LAW
Sandart regularly assists clients with advertisement law advice and in advertisement law disputes against competitors and authorities.
Our clients can be found in all kinds of industries, both in B2C and B2B. Many of our clients are active in regulated markets where special requirements are placed on the products and marketing. We often participate already in the planning stage of new advertising campaigns and product launches, to constructively contribute to the advertising and product design complying with the applicable regulations. We assist clients in contacts with the Swedish Consumer Agency and other authorities as well as in disputes in courts and at the Advertising Ombudsman.
With many of our clients, we work preventively to avoid advertisement law problems. We function in such contexts as a sounding board when it comes to, for example, environmental claims, pricing claims, comparative advertising, marketing through influencers and affiliates and so-called editorial ads. Since we also have extensive experience from examinations by authorities and courts, we have a good sense of risk assessment and the type of evidence that may be required in the event the advertisement is subject to review by the authorities or courts. When it comes to preventive work, we can also hold lectures for the company’s communications department and draw up internal guidelines that make it easier for the company’s employees to design the marketing according to the law.
If the company has been contacted by the Swedish Consumer Agency, for example regarding marketing or product safety issues, we can assist in the communication with the agency. We can help try to find a solution without litigation if that is preferable. If this is not possible and the Consumer Ombudsman. issues an injunction or brings a lawsuit against the company, we can of course also assist, representing the company against the Consumer Ombudsman. We have extensive experience in representing clients against the Consumer Ombudsman in the Patent and Market Courts.
We also respond to, and draft, cease and desist letters from, or to, competitors. If it is of interest and possible to find an out-of-court solution, we may draft and negotiate a settlement agreement. If that is not possible, we also have extensive experience in representing clients against competitors and others in the Patent and Market Courts.
We also help with applications against the company’s marketing at the Advertising Ombudsman and are well familiar with the ICC: regulations that the Advertisement Ombudsman applies.
Many of our clients operate in heavily regulated markets, e.g. food, alcohol, nicotine, and cosmetic products. We are used to dealing with the challenges this entails in terms of specific EU and authority regulations. We also have significant experience in contacts and disputes with the authorities that may be involved and in pursuing disputes in administrative courts in such matters.
We can also assist companies and organizations with referral responses and other measures in connection with legislative proposals that affect their business.
Our lawyers are often hired as lecturers on advertisement law issues at organizations and at universities and have written several articles in the field, for example about the average consumer and liability issues.
REGULATORY
Sandart regularly assists clients in matters relating to regulated products and services such as inter alia pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetic products, food and alcohol, as well as in matters related to data protection and privacy. Sandart also has extensive experience in assisting clients in regulatory matters within the energy sector.
Our experience of regulatory issues regarding pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetic products, food and alcohol is broad and may concern market approvals and permits, market access, parallel imports and product regulations. We also have extensive experience in working with issues relating to labelling requirements and health and nutrition claims for products. In these contexts, we also represent our clients in disputes against authorities and competitors.
Our expertise in the regulatory area also includes advice on issues related to data protection and privacy. We assist clients with analysis and routines to achieve regulatory compliance, including in relation to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), review and drafting of agreements as well as in supervisory matters and in disputes.
Within the energy sector, we have extensive experience in assisting both Swedish and foreign energy companies and other actors in the energy market in various regulatory matters including permit related issues, grid connections, revenue frameworks and regulatory compliance. Our advice also includes negotiation and drafting of various types of commercial agreements that affect the industry, such as cooperation, delivery and distribution agreements. We also help in strategic matters and assist with legal support in legislative matters and represent clients before authorities and courts in connection with supervisory matters and disputes.
