Dr Marcus Otten

Dr Marcus Otten is a partner and patent attorney at SAMSON & PARTNER Patentanwälte mbB, one of Germany's established intellectual property boutiques, based in Munich at the seat of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office and the European Patent Office. His recognition as recipient of the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026 — Intellectual Property Advisory Expert of the Year in Germany reflects a practice that unites rigorous scientific training with specialist legal advice on patents and related rights.

Scientific foundations

Dr Otten's advisory work rests on a strong foundation in the physical sciences. He studied physics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich and at Harvard University, earning both a diploma and a doctorate in physics. His doctoral research was carried out at the Center for NanoScience and at Stanford University, with work touching on biophysics, nanobiotechnology and renewable energy. He was supported during his studies by scholarships from the Fulbright Foundation and the Elite Network of Bavaria. This depth of technical understanding enables him to engage closely with inventors and engineers and to assess, in fine detail, exactly what an invention is and how it can be protected, defended and enforced.

Patent and IP practice

Dr Otten qualified as a German Patent Attorney and a European Patent Attorney, and he is also a European Trademark and Design Attorney. He has practised in intellectual property since 2014. His work focuses on the representation of clients in opposition proceedings before the German and European Patent Offices and on nullity proceedings before the German federal courts, as well as on patent prosecution more broadly. His technical fields of activity include applied physics — in particular medical physics — renewable energies, telecommunications and computer-implemented inventions, an area better known to many businesses as software patenting. These are among the most demanding and commercially significant areas of modern patent practice, where the boundaries of protectable subject matter are constantly tested.

SAMSON & PARTNER brings together physicists, computer scientists, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers and chemists so that the firm can evaluate and present, both technically and legally, precisely what needs to be protected, defended and enforced. Working within that multidisciplinary team, Dr Otten advises applicants and rights holders on building and defending patent portfolios, on challenging the rights of competitors, and on the strategic questions that arise when technology, litigation and commercial objectives intersect. The firm is recognised in leading rankings including JUVE Patent, IAM Patent 1000, IP Stars and the Financial Times listing of Europe's leading patent law firms.

Intellectual property advisory in Germany

Germany is the largest market for patents in Europe and a preferred venue for patent enforcement, thanks to experienced specialist courts, the bifurcated system that separates infringement from validity, and the presence of the European Patent Office in Munich. With the arrival of the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court, the strategic choices facing patent owners have become more complex still. Advisers who can combine genuine scientific literacy with procedural expertise before the patent offices and the courts are essential to companies seeking to secure and defend innovation in this jurisdiction. Dr Otten's blend of a physics doctorate and specialist patent qualifications places him squarely in that category.

Opposition and nullity work, which lie at the heart of Dr Otten's practice, are among the most consequential proceedings in the patent system, because they can revoke or narrow rights that have already been granted. Success in these forums calls for the ability to marshal detailed technical arguments about prior art and inventive step and to present them persuasively to expert examiners and judges. A physicist by training who has chosen to specialise in these contested proceedings brings exactly the blend of scientific rigour and legal advocacy that such matters demand.

Recognition

In naming Dr Marcus Otten Intellectual Property Advisory Expert of the Year in Germany for 2026, the Corporate INTL Global Awards recognise an adviser whose scientific depth, focused patent practice and work before the German and European patent authorities make him a trusted guide for innovators seeking to protect and enforce their technology in one of the world's most important IP jurisdictions.