Tobias Cohen Jehoram

Practice Areas

Tobias has a broad litigation practice, with a particular focus on cross-border litigation, Supreme Court litigation, litigation before the European Courts of Justice and intellectual property law. This includes state aid litigation, soft IP litigation and Supreme Court patent litigation. In addition, Tobias is part of the De Brauw UPC team and is a registered UPC representative.

Career

Tobias regularly advises multinationals and foreign counsel on litigation strategies in the Benelux, the EU and beyond, and manages such litigation. He also provides strategic IP advice in complex M&A transactions.

Tobias is considered one of the leading Dutch lawyers for IP infringement proceedings. This includes actions before the EUIPO, General Court, ECJ and Dutch Supreme Court. This covers trademarks, trade secrets dispute, copyright infringement cases and patent litigation. MIP named Tobias "Netherlands Practitioner of the Year" in 2022 and 2023 and trademark and copyright star in 2024. Tobias won the award for Soft IP Practitioner of the year in both 2023 and 2024.

Tobias’ team appears in the top tier of all leading rankings for IP. Legal500 explains how "the team [uniquely] combines its IP expertise with its litigation, corporate, and competition skills to provide a full service to both regional and international clients".

The Legal 500 calls Tobias Cohen Jehoram a "rock star with a formidable intellect, deep experience who provides pitch-perfect advice", before adding, "Tobias Cohen Jehoram is our go-to partner for high-stake trade mark matters. His knowledge and level of expertise is unrivalled. He is extremely pragmatic, business savvy and a lot of fun to work with. In addition, he is highly effective and efficient, leading to truly outstanding value for money. He is very accessible, with a fantastic sense of humor. Always a pleasure to work with!"

IP: Soft IP: De Brauw - Tier 1. "Under the leadership of ‘IP luminary’ and Supreme Court litigator Tobias Cohen Jehoram, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek acts for clients from across a spectrum of industries in multi-jurisdictional soft IP disputes, including infringement and validity proceedings, counterfeiting issues and complex issues tied to copyright levies. Selmer Bergsma litigates contractual IP disputes, in addition to trade secrets matters, with Roos van der Poel taking the lead on transactional matters, advising on IP transfers tied to M&As and assisting on the structuring of IP portfolios. Gertjan Harryvan assists Cohen Jehoram with Supreme Court appeals."

IP: Patent: De Brauw - Tier 2. "De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek moved to strengthen its patent litigation practice with the July 2023 arrival from NautaDutilh of Anne Marie Verschuur, who focuses on tech-related patent infringement and invalidity proceedings. She leads the team alongside Tobias Cohen Jehoram, who appears for pharmaceutical sector clients in patent appeals before the Dutch Supreme Court, in addition to the EUIPO and ECJ. Roos van der Poel handles transactional IP matters, advising on licensing and cooperation agreements, as well as matters of competition and contract law. Bertrand ter Woort's practice encompasses both life sciences and tech-focused patent disputes."

Also according to The Legal 500, "Tobias Cohen Jehoram is an IP luminary, though very approachable and pragmatic in his advice. His team consists of talented lawyers with the same mindset." "Very good firm, in particular for Supreme Court litigation in these cases. Very strong in high-end matters."

Chambers 2023: "Tobias Cohen Jehoram is one of the leading Dutch lawyers for trade mark litigation proceedings, both before the EUIPO and before the Supreme Court. He also offers notable experience in trade secret disputes, copyright infringement cases and parallel import proceedings."

According to one client, Tobias "has good authority in the eyes of a judge to outline why to follow one argument and not the other."

Who's Who Legal ranks Tobias as "EMEA Global Elite Thought Leader", adding, "Tobias Cohen Jehoram at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is 'still top of the bill', state impressed sources who add that he is a 'renowned professor of trademark law".

World Trademark Review notes that Tobias "thrives on a challenge and is sought out for the most complex big-ticket disputes. His client roster includes prominent Dutch national companies, along with high-profile foreign corporations", and "One of its top stars, Tobias Cohen Jehoram is an outstanding and well-respected lawyer who achieves excellent results. Tobias is one of the most prominent figures on the market (…)."

IAM PATENT 1000: "Making his debut in the IAM Patent 1000 this year, Tobias Cohen Jehoram is a well-known figure and considered a leading IP litigator, particularly in the trademark space. He is a familiar face before all levels of the courts, frequently handling disputes at the Supreme Court, and has been involved in the bulk of cases pending before the highest court."

Publications

Tobias is co-author of the leading industry handbook series "Industriële Eigendom" (3 volumes), and "The relationship between national and community trademark law", 2011.

Personal

Tobias has been a professor of IP Law at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam since 2007.

He is also admitted to the Supreme Court Bar.