"A patent attorney needs to be sharp-witted with a legal and technical background."
Walter Hart studied Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Delft, The Netherlands and joined EP&C in 2002 as a patent attorney. In addition to his specialism as civil engineer, Walter has considerable experience in production machinery, composite products, wind energy, hydrogen, transport and storage systems, drilling technologies, tools and horticultural technologies, general consumer products as well as products for the construction industry.
Before joining EP&C, Walter worked for a civil engineering firm (Fugro Engineers) and as a consultant for an ICT company (CMG). He graduated cum laude in 2005 for his Dutch Patent Attorney exams and has organised various workshops on patent law for EP&C’s clients.
Walter is analytical, enterprising, inventive and motivated. “Obtaining a patent is, in itself, not a very difficult task. However, obtaining a patent that is useful and effective for the business of the client is a whole different matter. This requires that a patent attorney is sharp-witted, and has both legal expertise and a thorough technical understanding. I was brought up surrounded by inventions and can sympathise with my clients like no other. I understand how excited and nervous they feel when they come to us with a new idea. The clients are generally very talented and ambitious people and working with them is very satisfying indeed.”
Walter is actively involved in the new unitary patent and the new Unified Patent Court, the UPC. He has completed the CEIPI course on Patent Litigation in Europe at the University of Strasbourg. This course provides Walter a right of representation before the UPC, once it comes into force. He also wrote a White Paper for EP&C on the subject titled: “The unitary patent and the UPC, a revolution in European patent law”.
Walter has a special interest in packaging and writes a regular column on packaging and IP for a leading trade publication. In his spare time, Walter is developing a new, high speed sailboat.
JUVE PATENT NETHERLANDS 2021
JUVE Patent is a online platform with daily reporting on the European patent market. Walter is recommended as an expert in mechanical engineering.
IAM Patent 1000
IAM magazine (an international magazine about IP) publishes an annual special
called IAM Patent 1000 - World’s Leading Patent Practitioners. This is what they
say about Walter:
2022 & 2023
"Civil engineer Walter Hart is a repository of trust for those in the construction industry, thanks to his impeccable patentability instincts and in-house experience."
2021
"Completing the line-up is the nimble and perceptive Walter Hart, who finds commercially viable answers to the most complex questions. The civil engineer leverages his industry insight to obtain patents that enhance patrons’ marketposition."
2020
"Walter Hart’s understanding of civil engineering technology is second to none and his guidance is always neatly tailored to clients’ needs."
2019
"Civil engineer Walter Hart soothes the pressing IP concerns of leading players in the energy, packaging and transport sectors; he is a confidence-inspiring patent attorney for whom a good patent is a business asset and not just a piece of paper. Hart is also an expert on all things UPC-related."
2018
"A civil engineering savant, Walter Hart exhibits a phenomenal technical grasp and champions the outfit’s preparations for the Unified Patent Court. He shares this task with dual-qualified IAM Patent 1000 debutant Jordi Kox."
2016
"With valuable in-house experience on his résumé, Walter Hart is a shrewd operator for innovative companies in the oil and marine engineering industries."
2015
"The firm is perhaps best known for its mechanical engineering prowess and, over in Amsterdam, Walter Hart occupies the spotlight. He has a civil engineering background and plenty of industry experience to draw upon, and inventive companies find him a reassuring presence who can obtain patents that contribute to the achievement of business goals."
IP Stars Handbook
Every year, the international magazine Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) publishes the IP Stars Handbook. Here is what one satisfied client has to say about Walter:
2014
“He was very good at understanding our mechanically complex and rather old fashioned invention. We really appreciated his patience.”
Publications
Read all of Walter's blog posts.
2020 - Loophole in Patent Act possible threat to Dutch offshore wind innovations - Wind Energy Magazine
2015 - The unitary Patent and the UPC. A revolution in European Patent Law - White Paper, EP&C (click to request a copy of the White Paper)
