Carsten Koch, Dipl-Ing, ICID (MSc)

Carsten Koch is a German patent attorney (Patentanwalt) and a European trademark and design attorney at FARAGO, an intellectual property boutique with offices in Munich, Aachen and Berlin. Combining a strong engineering background with two decades of IP practice, he advises innovators on how to protect, strategise around and evaluate their intangible assets. His depth in the evaluation of IP rights is reflected in his recognition as Due Diligence Law Expert of the Year in Germany at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026.

An engineer turned intellectual property strategist

Carsten Koch's profile is unusual for the way it bridges technology and law. He holds a Diplom-Ingenieur qualification and an ICID Master of Science from Imperial College London, having studied mechanical and civil engineering at RWTH Aachen University and civil engineering at Imperial College. According to his firm profile he has worked in engineering since 1997 and in intellectual property since 2001, and his prior career took in roles connected with Deutsche Bank and The Boston Consulting Group before he became a shareholder in an established patent practice. That blend of technical, commercial and legal experience is central to how he serves clients today as Strategy Counsel and Patentanwalt at FARAGO.

Due diligence at the heart of IP transactions

Intellectual property due diligence is the discipline of examining patents, trademarks, designs and related rights to establish what is actually owned, how strong it is, and what risks or opportunities it carries. It is indispensable in mergers and acquisitions, financings, licensing deals and venture and private equity investments, where the value of a target frequently rests on its IP portfolio. FARAGO lists IP strategy consulting and due diligence among its core services, alongside patent prosecution, trademark and design protection, and IP litigation covering infringement, nullity actions and preliminary injunctions. Carsten Koch's stated areas of legal expertise include due diligence and out-of-court negotiation together with patents, trademarks and designs, and his technical reach extends across mechanical engineering, medical technology, civil and environmental engineering, motor-vehicle technology and software-related patents.

This combination is precisely what rigorous due diligence demands. Assessing whether a patent is likely to be valid and infringed, whether a portfolio genuinely covers a product, or whether a trademark can be enforced requires both legal analysis and the ability to understand the underlying technology. An adviser who can read the engineering as fluently as the claims is well placed to give investors and acquirers a realistic picture of the assets they are buying or backing.

A boutique built around quality and client focus

FARAGO describes its philosophy in terms of the highest quality of work and a passion for the client, aligning IP strategy with clients' business objectives and seeking creative solutions. The firm organises its work across four expert units covering mechanics and physics; digital and electrotechnics; life science and chemistry; and legal, trademark and design, and it works closely with European SMEs and so-called hidden champions, start-ups, sustainability-focused technology companies and venture capital investors. This client base sits naturally alongside a strong due diligence practice, since growing and investment-hungry technology businesses are exactly the ones whose deals turn on the strength of their IP.

For clients weighing an acquisition, an investment or a licensing deal, the quality of intellectual property due diligence can shape the entire transaction, informing the price, the warranties sought and the strategy pursued after completion. An adviser fluent in both the underlying technology and the relevant law is best placed to separate robust rights from weak ones and to flag hidden risks before they become costly. This is precisely the value Carsten Koch brings to FARAGO's transactional and advisory work.

Fluent in several languages and grounded in both engineering and law, Carsten Koch offers clients an adviser who can guide them through patent, trademark and design protection while also stress-testing the value and risk of IP assets in a transactional setting. His recognition as Due Diligence Law Expert of the Year in Germany at the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026 highlights that distinctive, technically informed approach to intellectual property.